NaZooverse Book 1: The Risen Curtain
by Ultimate Rising Phoenix
Summary: The world is always changing. This is a certain truth. It changed when the city of Zootopia was founded, and it changed once again thanks to the actions of two brave mammals, or at least it began to change. Sometimes, changes comes not as the appearing of something new, but as the return of something that was lost or hidden. Magic is real, and now mammals know it. What happens now?
1. Prolog: Time for Vengeance

The World is a beautiful place. Landscapes of unmatched beauty. Fresh fields of grass, which would bloom in a thousand colors each spring. Life booming from all sides and in all styles.

But still… why it was such a horrible place to live in?

_Curse them…_

It was not the place. For it was beautiful beyond all understanding. That is something I have always known.

Curse them...

It was not the creatures that scrawled around and ate each other. They merely followed what nature told them to do. It was not their fault, they only did what they were supposed to do.

Curse them.

It was not the events made by the wrath of nature. These were merely the world spinning, moving and changing all that was on it. Something was out of place, so nature corrected itself. It was how it worked. I know that pretty well.

Curse them!

Them why? Why the world is such a horrible place to live?

Well, the answer is simple, and is one that I know very well:

Mammals.

**Curse them!**

They spread across this world like a plague, and they consumed what was on their sight. They saw something that they liked, and instead of leaving it be, as they should with anything so marvelous, like any other creature would, they wanted to claim it for their own. Make it their property so they could have something out of it.

**Curse them!**

If they saw something that was unpleasant for them, or that they didn't understand, they wanted to get rid of it without regard for others, only because it was something that didn't felt like they had to tolerate.

**Curse them! Curse them!**

They took everything for granted, and they ruined the world.

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

They were unable to accept difference, and they were quick to find a target for their anger. They turned on each other.

They are unable to get along, and they attack and kill each other for the most stupid reasons, making a mess of this world.

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

They would change the world to fit their own ideas and when unsatisfied, they would always search for more.

They would cheat, lie, steal, sin, kill and destroy, not because nature told them to, but because they were moved by their own greed, their own lusts, their own ambitions, and their own unspeakable desires.

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

They destroyed and oppressed each other. Big mammals would move forward by trampling into the smaller. They would redistribute the resources that should belong to everyone so they could have more while others starved and died of cold and suffering.

They wagged war for the most stupid motives, destroying themselves and the world around them.

They destroyed nature and balance that was delicately built for the shake of satisfying their needs, and even though they saw what disastrous end they were going, they continued on that path.

They invented concepts, biases, bigotries, prejudices and pre-fabricated truths on a whim. Giving themselves more reasons to have envy, to despise, to fight, to kill, to resent.

To Hate.

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

So, it was not the World's fault if it was horrible to live in it.

The World was not cruel.

Never the World.

It was mammals.

They were the ones who ruined the World.

They were the ones who made it a horrible place to live.

They were to blame.

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

**Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!**

I feel a breeze on my face. The smell from it reaches my nostrils as if it was a sweet perfume.

My eyes snap open, and I look.

I see the World.

I look at it as if it was the first time I ever saw it, even though this is very far from being the truth.

I see everything that I love before my eyes.

I also see what I hate.

Mammals.

Millions of them.

I feel revulsion for looking at them.

Only knowing that they are there makes my body clench in disgust.

I know that it is not their fault.

I know that they cannot avoid being like that. It is just their nature, just like it is the nature of the fish to swim, of the eagle to fly, and of the mosquito to suck on blood.

I know. I understand. I forgive them.

Of course, knowing, understanding, and forgiving does not make their existence bearable.

Actually, somehow it makes me hate them even more.

I want to hurt them.

I want to kill them.

I want to see them squirm.

I want to see them burn.

They are all my enemies. Every single mammal alive is my enemy. So, I must wage war against them, like they do with anything they consider their enemy.

Once more, the World is moving.

A change comes in the horizon, and I am in the center of it.

The time has come.

**Time for Vengeance**


	2. The Last Day Before the Storm

_"Reality is something fickle._

_We all want to believe that reality is something firm and solid. Immutable. Something eternal, in which we can rely on to be constant. To be something that would never change, so we will have an anchor to our own existences._

_But reality is not like that._

_Reality changes. The world changes with each revolution, and no matter how much we want it to remain the same, the world will never stop spinning for a moment, and no mammal in the world is able to force it to remain, not even with all of their power and influence, for the nature of reality is to change. The nature of the world is to change. At one moment, what we see as fact, might prove itself to be wrong, and at this moment, all of our values and perceptions will be put to the test, as the new reality will make us question what we think to be the truth, and challenge us to adapt or abandon our truth._

_We might not like to accept change, but once it happens, we must, because otherwise, we will be left out by the changes, and we will invariably be crushed by the weight of the changed reality._

_For reality, as much as it is fickle, it is absolute. We must always accept reality, no matter how strange it might seem. As we, mere mammals, can hardly force reality to adapt to our ideas, and as so, we have to adapt our ideas to reality, like all mammals who live in this world…"_

"NICK!"

The fox nearly jumped out of his own uniform and fur as he heard the voice of the bunny screaming on his ear after she had pulled the phone that was on it as he heard the speech of a character of a short movie on his cell phone at EweTube. A sci-fi thing regarding alien contact.

"Have you listened to what I have just said?" Judy asked him, looking straight at his face as the fox said nothing, and he merely removed the phone from his other ear, rolled the phones up, and deposited both it and his phone back on his pocket.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" He said, trying to look smug, and Judy only sighed, and she turned her attention back to the road as she continued to drive.

"As I was saying…" Judy spoke, as she drove them across the road. "Chief Bogo said that we will be in charge of investigating that new ring of illegal fighting that is going on in Downtown. I was saying that it would be nice if we could talk to one of your contacts on the matter, ask them if they have heard anything over the subject."

Nick listened and nodded.

"Well, we could actually try, but I do not assure that any of them would be willing to talk to the cops." The fox said, matter-of-factly. Ever since Nick had changed his profession, exactly one year ago, on that very same day, most of his old "associates" had moved away from him. Of course, as he had moved from a simple street hustler to Zootopia's first fox cop, the kind of people he used to hang out with didn't quite felt like being around him anymore.

"Well, it is still worth a shot." Judy said as her amethyst eyes continued to look forward into the road ahead of her. "We can try Finnick first. You two were always very close, and he knows his way around the city as well as you do."

"Yeah, still, I feel like the little guy and I have been drifting apart ever since I started wearing blue." Nick said to her, "For instance, he used to tell me about all of his girlfriends, even though I didn't ask him, and just last month when I asked him about his 'special lady friend', he looked like he was ready to bite my nose off." He said, remembering the event, "I think the badge was the only thing that actually held him back."

Judy chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Okay, Officer Wilde, enough talking." She said as she continued to drive across the road, taking a turn and now heading Downtown. "We have work to do."

Yes, they did had work to do.

This was his work now.

If two years ago, someone had come to Nick Wilde and told him that he was going to change professions, he was going to raise his eyebrow and ask them what kind of job he was going to be offered.

If they had answered to him that he was going to become a cop, Nick would have laughed very hard about it, because it could only be a joke. Foxes were not trustworthy even to have decent jobs, even less to have badges. This was something that was just out of reach for him. He had accepted that a long time ago, just the day following the unfortunate incident with the Ranger Scouts.

Nick flinched internally on remembering that event, as it still had effects on him, even after so long.

However, there he was, wearing proudly his police uniform and his badge, which was put on his chest exactly one year ago by that same bunny girl who was currently driving their cruiser. This was his life now, working with the law, upholding the very same oath that he had once made within the Ranger Scouts.

Oh, how he would love to meet the same kids from years ago and show himself to them on his police uniform. To see the look in their faces when they saw that the same fox they didn't let join their troop had made it to the ZPD.

That was still the type of satisfaction that Nick was still going to have, meanwhile, he was happy to know that each day on the job was a day that he was doing something meaningful with his life.

Of course, he was not busting drug cartels or chasing after serial killers every day, as they showed on ZSI, or in Paw & Order. Most days it was calm, usually investigating some disturbances, maybe apprehending some minor scammer, or even chasing a speeding car. Still, there were days in which they had some big case to investigate.

Just like the assignment they were given that day about an illegal fighting ring that had come to the attention of the ZPD. It was one of these places where two mammals would step inside a cage and a lot of drunken and bloodthirsty dudes would get around to cheer and to bet on how was going to come out victorious. It was kind of like MMA, but way more brutal, if their intel was to be believed.

Mammals were allowed to use anything that they wanted, including knives and bats. Predators were allowed to bite and claw. Rhinos were allowed to gore the enemy with their horns. Zebras were allowed to stomp fallen enemies with their hooves until their bones broke. It was the kind of event that mammals with a weak heart or stomach should not watch.

It seemed like the kind of case that two of the top officers of the ZPD should bust.

Their first stop was Finnick, and as Nick expected, the fennec fox was not exactly willing to help them. While he was not openly hostile to them, he was cordial, he heard what they had to say and to ask, and he was clear on his answer.

"Yeah, maybe I heard something about that." The little mammal said as he removed his shades from his face, looking at the two cops as he leaned over the open window of his van. "Something about mammals getting in cages and beating the snot out of each other until one of them could no longer stand. I heard that last guy who was in there was so beaten that he could barely open his eyes, and don't even ask me about the one who lost the fight."

This was the kind of thing that made mammals shiver, and Nick was pretty sure that Judy had also felt one running down the fur of her back.

"I don't get involved with these guys." Finnick said categorically. "They are too violent for my tastes. Anyways, I'm trying to move away from that type of scene for good. I even got a job in a nice place."

"Oh, is my little buddy going legit?" Nick said, lowering his own shades as he looked at the small mammal, who glared back at him. "Is it my influence on you? Or would that be the lady friend of yours?"

Finnick looked at him as if he wanted to bore holes on Nick's skull just with his gaze.

"I'm going to hurt you." Finnick said, glaring at the bigger fox, "Badge or no badge, I'm going to hurt you pretty bad, Wilde."

Nick chuckled, and Judy was quick to get in the way before things could escalate.

"These kinds of things are too dangerous." Judy said, "With this level of violence in the matches it is only a matter of time before someone ends up leaving in a body bag." She spoke with a deadly serious expression on her face. "We need to put them down, and any help is welcome."

Finnick looked at the bunny girl, and after a few moments, he sighed.

"I going to ask around a friend or two." He said as he fixed his shades back on his face. "Maybe one of them knows when the next match is going to happen, but don't hold your hopes up."

"Thank you." Judy said, and the fennec just closed his window and started to drive away.

"You make me proud, little guy!" Nick said, and the van drove away, leaving the two mammals behind as they looked at each other. "This went better than expected. I was pretty sure he was going to have his bat on his paw… So, what now?"

"We continue our investigation, of course!" Judy said, with that determined look that Nick knew all too well.

* * *

Their investigation consisted more into going around Downtown, asking around the streets to some mammals that were either informants or old contacts from Nick.

His change of profession had made Nick less popular, but he still got some mammals who still talked to him, and they were at least willing to hear them out before they told them both to beat it.

Some of them were most civic than others.

Of course, it seemed that they all either didn't know about the specific subject or didn't want to talk about it with the cops. The one or two that actually said anything didn't say anything that the two cops didn't already know or heard about.

This investigation was proving to be quite a difficult one.

"Sir, we really would like some information." Judy said to the hyena dressed all in black, as the guy only looked down on her.

"Information, huh?" The hyena dude said, as he looked her up and down. "Okay, what about this…" He leaned over, gesturing Judy to come closer. She leaned over, and the hyena whispered in her ear.

"I'm normally not into bunnies. But you got some nice pair of hips." He whispered to her, "Maybe I can get some information on these rings you are talking about and maybe, as a thank you, you could come visit me at my place, candle lights. What do you say?"

Nick felt tension as his eyes adopted a glare behind his shades, he could feel his lips curling as if they were getting him to ready to snarl. Meanwhile, Judy moved back and stared daggers at the hyena with an annoyed expression, before turning around and marching off.

"The offer will be up, sweet bun." The hyena said to the angry bunny as she continued to stomp away. "Just come looking for 'Laughing Joe' if you change your mind! You are pretty small, but I'm sure that we can make it work!" The hyena guy finished with a cackling laugh, which his species was so famous for.

The fox glared at the hyena for a few more seconds, before turning around and walking after Judy, who stomped the ground in anger as she walked back to their cruiser.

Once they reached, she slammed the door, and Nick walked in right after her, closing his own door. The bunny looked as if she was ready to punch someone in the face. Nick looked at her, and after a second, the bunny let out a frustrated and angry grunt as she slammed her head in the steering wheel.

"I told you that we should not talk to him." Nick said as he had warned her about this "Laughing Joe". He was famous for being the kind that had information on the area, but he was the kind who always wanted _something_ in return.

"Can you believe the way he talked to me?!" Judy asked her partner. "As if it was normal to make these kinds of proposals! Sweet cheese and crackers! I should have arrested him for that! Talking to a law officer like that!"

"Yeah, old Laughing Joe does not have a lot of respect for police authority… or any authority, for that matter." Nick said, "Well, we already know that we can't count on him, anyway."

"We don't have a lead!" Judy said in frustration. "We have been going through Downtown all morning, and we don't have a single solid lead!"

"Well, we knew that this case was not going to be easy." Nick said to her. "It is not like we could go around, ask a few questions, and figure it out in no time at all, like we did with the case of that car dismantling squad last week, right?"

Judy kept her head in the steering wheel for a while, and she sighed, and Nick knew that he had made a score.

"I know, Nick. I know." The bunny admitted in defeat. "Is just that… It is so frustrating not having at least one lead! It is nearly 1:00 PM and we don't have a single significant lead."

"1:00 PM, really?" Nick asked, checking his phone to confirm the time, and indeed, he saw that there were just a few minutes short of the one of the afternoon. "Man, time really does fly! We almost lost lunch!"

The fox looked up from his phone and looked around, and he sighted a small place that offered food nearby, and he suddenly decided that it was time for a quick bite.

As he opened his door, the bunny turned her head to him, and she asked:

"Where do you think you are going?"

"To grab some grub." Nick said, "Armies cannot march with empty stomachs, and neither can foxes."

"Nick, we have a serious case in our paws. You cannot be seriously thinking about food at a time like that, can you?" She asked, and Nick was about to answer when a grumbling sound answered first.

It was a stomach, but Nick was sure that was not his own.

Judy's face and ears became pinkish with a blush as her own stomach betrayed her, and Nick only gave her a knowing smile as he looked at the bunny.

"Any requests?"

Judy looked at him with an annoyed expression, and she sighed in defeat. "See if they have anything with carrots."

Nick nodded, and stepped out of the cruiser.

"Be back in five minutes tops, depending on the size of the line."

* * *

A little over five minutes was the time that Nick had taken into the line.

The eating place was more for predators, so they had a nice collection of fishes and birds, but they also had some good options for herbivores. Nick picked for himself some fried chicken that smelled just divine, and he chose some special steamed rice loaded with mushroom and veggies. They also had options for desserts, and so, Nick picked a blueberry muffin and a slice of carrot cake.

After paying, Nick was walking out of the place and back to the cruiser with the bag with the food for himself and his partner on his paw, and he walked calmly and quite happily, looking forward to sinking his teeth into that fried chicken…

"… so, on the next match, it will be a lion against a bison. They're promising that this time there will actually be blood spilled."

Nick's ear twitched as it moved in the direction to the place where the voice was coming from.

Nick gave a few steps back and leaned back as he looked inside of the alley that he had just passed. It was dark and dirty, the stereotypical dark alley where criminal types would meet in order to discuss important their illegal dealings and subjects.

In it, Nick could see two mammals. One of them was a coyote, and he was dressed into common clothing, with brown fur and golden eyes. In front of him was standing a tiger who was dressed in black and tore clothing. The tiger was looking down on the coyote, while this looked back at him with an excited expression.

"They say that the bison is an ex-fighter who was kicked out of the professional circles for being overly violent, and the lion is addicted to catnip! These two guys are both crazy, and this battle can actually escalate! We got to go see it! We might actually see someone lose a limb!"

Nick raised an eyebrow at what he was hearing. _"Well, what are the chances?"_ the fox thought to himself, and he continued to hear.

"We have other plans this week, and you know it." The tiger said.

"Oh, come on! It might be the best one yet!"

"Forget it. We already have a thing to do." The tiger said firmly, "Besides, I don't think that the boss would allow after what you did in the last one."

"Oh, you mean _that_?" The coyote said. "Okay, so maybe I hypnotized the two fighters to fight a little better, what is the problem? No one noticed…"

Nick's eyebrow raised at this. Had he really heard "hypnotize"? Like the stage magicians?

"You were reckless." The tiger said, "We cannot go doing this with just anyone, people will notice. Why do you even wanna go see that, anyway? Two Mundanes attacking each other like savages until one of them drops. Big deal. We can see that anywhere in the street around this neighborhood."

"It is exciting!" The coyote said, looking up at the tiger. "Two mammals into a confined space, forced to fight for supremacy and survival! Just like in ancient times! Don't tell me that it does not make you even a little bit thrilled."

"It doesn't." The tiger said, and the coyote looked deflated.

"Okay, so I'm gonna go alone…" The coyote said, pouting a little bit, almost like a child. "I just need you to give me some money for the tickets."

"Forget it." The tiger said firmly, like a parent to a child who was insisting for a toy. "We don't have time for this, not this week. The boss needs both of us for the ritual, and we need to do it quickly before one of the clans notices that we are symphony energy from a Ley Line."

"Oh, come on! These guys don't even know we exist!"

"They have eyes and ears everywhere in this city." The tiger said in a hushed tone. "They are the Second Owners of this whole place, and they will not be happy with someone using the Ley Lines without their permission. So, we are going to make this ritual and go back to the shadows before any of them gets the wiser. The last thing we need is the clans contacting the Association and sending the Enforcers on us, or worse yet, coming after us themselves."

Nick had been listening for a less than a minute, and he was already sure that these guys were up to something.

Not only were they talking to each other in secret, but they also were using many terms that the fox was sure that could only be some kind of secret code.

Rituals. Ley lines. Mundanes.

Yep, surely a code and the only people who talked in this code were the ones who wanted to hide something. Be you a criminal plotting something with your felons, to a team of law officers coordinating a busting into a criminal organization, and even to spies doing their spy things.

Now, who were these guys, and why were they talking in code?

Well, there was a simply way to find out.

"Hey, there!" Nick said as he walked into the alley, startling the two mammals as they turned to look at the fox who just walked in. They both looked at him surprised when the fox on police uniform walked ahead with a smug smirk on his face, and he greeted both.

"Nice evening to gather into a dark and ominous alley, ain't it?"

The two mammals looked at him; the tiger was the one who spoke:

"And who are you?"

"Oh, I'm just your everyday fox cop walking into the dark alleys of Downtown." Nick said, "You know, going with my partner on our cruiser, buying is some grub." He said, showing the bag he had on with him, "Hearing two suspicious mammals talking about an even more suspicious subject…"

This got the attention of the two bigger predators, as they looked at the fox.

"Say that again?"

"What, about the grub?" Nick asked, feigning ignorance, "Oh, right! About the suspicious subject! Well, I'm not exactly the kind of fox who lurks around to see if he can listen for something someone else is saying, but I was just walking across the street when I heard something that piqued my interest, and I could not avoid hearing what you two spoke."

The two mammals looked at the fox, the tiger glaring at him, as he stepped forward.

"What exactly did you heard, fox?" He asked in a slow and serious tune, and Nick could not help but feel a shiver going down his spine, but he hid it well.

"Well, it started with some talk about what could be an illegal fighting ring around the area." He spoke calmly, "Then it escalated to some talk about 'rituals' and 'clans', or something of the like." He said as the two mammals continued to look at him. "So, what is this, some kind of code, or are those new slangs I'm not familiar with?"

The tiger glared daggers at the fox, and the coyote held him by the arm.

"Calm down, dude." He said to the tiger, "We cannot call attention, remember?"

"He heard us!" The tiger whispered back to the coyote.

"He has no idea what we just said." The coyote answered back, and Nick looked at the two, as they talked as if they had forgotten that Nick was still right there.

"Still, we cannot just let him walk away after he heard us!" The tiger said, and this made Nick's ears perk.

The two mammals looked at him, as the fox looked back at them.

"I got this." The coyote said and walked forward. Nick immediately took a step back, and his free hand went to the dart gun that was on his holster, holding the butt of the weapon as the coyote walked in his direction.

"Ow, ow. Hold on." The fox said, but the coyote raised his paws.

"Just relax, Mr. 'Police Officer'." The coyote said as he started to make some gestures with his paws. "It will only take a few moments."

Nick looked at the coyote, as he started to make some gestures in the air. Most of it was consisted of the coyote spinning his claws in the air and making some strange positions with his paws. Nick looked at it, as the gestures were starting to get repetitive, forming a pattern.

It was… somewhat mesmerizing. Nick felt his vision blurring slightly, and for a moment, he could swear that he saw the paws of the coyote glowing.

Nick looked at it, and then he blinked, this was enough to clear his mind, as he blinked again, and he looked at the coyote.

What the heck was that?

"What are you doing?" The fox asked, his hand was still holding the butt of his dart gun, and the coyote looked at him surprised, before looking at his own paws.

"This don't usually fail…" The coyote said to himself, and he looked back at the fox. "Okay, let's try again." He said as he raised his paws once more.

"Okay, okay, I don't know what you are doing, but you better stop." Nick said, holding his gun a little tighter.

"Okay, you just need to relax dude." The coyote said as he started to repeat the gestures. "Soon you won't remember you met us, and you will have time to go to your party. By the way, this police officer costume you are wearing is very convincing."

"Well, thank you." Nick said to him, "They gave me when I joined the ZPD. By the way, it is not a costume."

"Yeah, right…" The coyote said with a smile of who knows it.

"No, seriously." Nick said, as his other hand let go of the bags and pulled out his badge to show them. "You are talking to no other than Officer Nicholas P. Wilde."

Right after Nick said these words, the smile on the coyote's face disappeared, his hands stopping in midair as he looked at the fox as if he had just seen a ghost.

"W-w-what?" The coyote said as the color drained away from his features. "Y-you are…"

"Zootopia's first fox cop." Nick said with a twinge of pride, and he looked at the coyote. "What, you hadn't noticed?" He asked. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that I am a famous guy." He said casually as he put his badge back on his belt, seeing the coyote clearly lose his nerve was boosting Nick's own confidence enough to him have his smugness back.

The coyote gave a step back, now looking genuinely scared.

"I-I was… I mean. W-we were just… I-I was not really trying to… We… We will be leaving now, sorry for bothering you!" The coyote said, and he started to walk away.

"Hey, hey! Wait!" Nick said, and the coyote stopped on his tracks, his tail tucked between his legs. Nick had a raised eyebrow as the coyote looked over his shoulder to the fox, and Nick could see the fear on his eyes.

All of that just because he now knew that Nick was a cop?

"Before you go, I want to ask a few questions." Nick said, and the coyote looked over at him.

"S-sure… whatever you say, sir." The coyote said, turning around and standing for the fox, fear clear on his body language. Nick had a raised eyebrow at this, but he decided to ignore it for now and focus on the thing that was important.

"Okay, about what I heard you two saying…"

The coyote became even paler.

"O-oh… about the Ley Lines?" The coyote said, and Nick could sense the panic surging in his voice. "We w-were going to a-ask for permission, but, this ritual we have to do is kind of urgent so… W-we just wanted to avoid bureaucracy, but we are willing to pay a fee if you want. T-there is no need to involve the Association, right?" he asked with the biggest fake smile that Nick had seen in the past years. The fox only looked at him for a few moments, before saying:

"Oookay? Well, anyway, I was going to ask about that illegal fight you were talking."

"Oh, _that_?" The coyote asked, seeming actually relieved. "S-sure, what about it?"

"Wait a minute!" The tiger said, stepping forward and glaring at the fox. "Are you really who you say you are?"

Nick looked at him. "Man, I really thought that I was a famous guy. I mean, I was in the newspaper and everything. Of course, it was a year ago. Anyway, you can do a little research online, Nicholas Wilde. Wilde writes W-I-L…"

"I know how to write it!" The tiger snapped at him, and Nick actually got a bit startled by this. "But how can we know you really are who you claim to be?"

"Want to see my badge again?"

"Dude, what are you doing?" The coyote whispered. The tiger ignored him and continued to glare at the fox.

"Show me your mark!" The big feline demanded.

"Say what now?" Nick asked, confused.

"You say you are a Wilde, right? Show me the mark, so we know that you are with the clan." The tiger nearly demanded, glaring daggers at the fox.

Mark? Clan?

"Dude, stop it!" The coyote said, "We don't need a problem with the clans, you said it yourself!"

"Why would one of them be with the ZPD?" The tiger asked him, "They wouldn't bother joining the mundane police unless they were plotting something."

"He got to be one of them! You saw how he resisted my hypnosis? No mundane could do that!"

"It doesn't mean he is of the clan!" The tiger said, and he turned back at the fox. "So, if you really are a Wilde, and not some two-bit spellcaster using the clan's name, show me some proof!"

Spellcaster? What were these two talking about!?

Nick looked at them as he tried to make sense of what they were saying, the coyote, however, seemed to interpret it as a sign that the fox was getting mad, and he hurried.

"Okay, it was nice talking to you, Mr. Wilde. We are leaving, and hope you are okay." He said, forcing his big tiger partner and they were already walking out when the fox stopped him a second time.

"Wait! The fight!" Nick said, and the coyote turned to him.

"Oh, yeah, it will be a lion against a bison, in two or three days, in old storage near the docks. You should look for Slimy Tusks, he is the one who handles the propaganda and the tickets." The coyote said in a hurry, sounding like he just wanted to get that over with and leave.

Nick was about to question him on something else when his attention was diverted by a buzzing coming from his waist followed by the familiar voice of a certain bunny.

"_Nick!_" Judy's voice buzzed from the radio that Nick carried. "_Nick, it has been more than five minutes! Where are you?_"

This caused Nick to have his full attention deviated to the radio for just about a few seconds, and when he looked back at the two mammals, they were no longer there.

Nick was alone in the street, with no tiger or coyote in sight.

"What the…" Nick said as he wondered just how two mammals could disappear like that...

"_Nick! Are you listening?_" Judy's voice chimed in again by the radio. "_What, are you in the restroom, or something? ... wait, you are not in the restroom, are you?_"

Nick took a few moments, but he reached for his radio, and he finally picked it up to answer. "Y-yeah? No, I'm okay. It's just… the line was a little long." He looked over the empty alley one more time, before picking up the bags with the food and walking out of it.

"_Well, you certainly were taking your time. I'm starved._"

"Yeah, don't worry, Carrots, I've got the food." Nick said as he walked to the cruiser. "I also got some lead on the case."

* * *

Nick described what had happened to Judy while they ate, and the bunny almost forgot her food as she listened to Nick's account of the facts.

She was a bit scared at the fact that her partner was facing against two bigger and stronger predators all by himself, and quite angry with him for not having called her for backup.

On the other paw, she was quite glad that they had actually gotten what seemed to be a solid lead.

Matter of fact, Nick knew "Slimy Tusks", it was a dirty hog who walked around that neighborhood and who was said to have his stinky hooves on many things that were dubious. Nick actually felt like kicking himself for not thinking of going to him for information sooner.

The thing was, ever since Nick went blue, Slimy Tusks was one of the mammals who totally cut ties with him. He remembered the last conversation that he had with the greasy boar, as he told Nick that he better not ever show his snout in front of him again and that he better not start snitching, otherwise he would regret it dearly.

Now, Slimy Tusks was not violent, but he could talk loud if he wanted. Anyway, Nick was not snitching on him, for he had taken a position of not turning in anyone from his past for what was in the past. Even because, there were few things that Nick could tell the ZPD that wouldn't put _him _in trouble as well.

Anyway, it was a lead, and it was something that they both could pursue. However, Nick knew that Slimy Tusks would never talk with them or anyone else if he smelled cops, so they would need to be a little subtle if they wanted to get the needed information they wanted from the boar.

The rest of the information was useful too. Now they knew an approximate place and date.

"We can tell the others and they will be able to organize an apprehension." Judy said, "Maybe Bogo will even let us participate since we were the ones who found this out."

"I'm sorry, _we_?" Nick said, his trademark smirk on his face, and Judy only looked at him quite annoyed.

"Yes, _we_." Judy said, "We are partners, remember?"

"Yeah, but I remember that you were here in the cruiser while I got the information out of the two suspicious mammals. Or am I imagining it, Carrots?"

"Oh, Nick…" Judy said, rolling her eyes. Nick chuckled, and so did Judy, in the end, they knew that it was all in good fun. Still, she got serious for a while.

"Who were these two, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know." The fox said as he took another bite on his chicken. "Maybe your everyday thugs going around Downtown and doing things that they weren't supposed to be doing."

"Yeah, but for what you said it sounded like they were up to something." Judy said, "Shouldn't we try to look for them?"

"Yeah, maybe, I'd like to ask a thing or two on them…" Nick admitted, there was something about these two that was just nagging at him…

"Did you said that they backed away when they found out your name, right?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, it was as if they just found out that they were picking up a fight with Mr. Big's son-in-law." Nick said, "Actually, I think they were more scared of my name than of my badge. That's gotta be a first."

"What? Is your family powerful or something?" Judy asked, and Nick only shook his head.

"Nah, not at all." The fox said, "It is not like 'Wilde' is the name of a great enterprise or of some lineage of hustlers who took money from kings and emperors. I mean, my mom works as a receptionist, and she was a waitress before that. As for my father… well, I'm pretty sure that the guy was not that important, even though I've never met him."

"Then why were these two afraid of you?" Judy asked.

"Well, maybe they knew that I was partners with a certain long-eared ball of fluff who took down the ex-Mayor Bellwether one-and-a-half year ago, and who some know that has a little friendship with a certain arctic shrew from Tundratown."

Nick smiled at her, but Judy was still not quite letting it go.

"What about these things they were talking about? Rituals and 'ley lines'? What even _is_ a 'ley line'?"

"Beats me." Nick said, "But the guys in Mystic Springs always say that they need to 'harmonize the ambiance of the place with the ley lines', or some other mumbo jumbo. Maybe is some kind of code for something?"

"And they called you a 'spellcaster'?" She asked, and Nick shrugged.

"Yeah, I didn't get it either."

This got Judy thinking, wondering just what they could possible mean by these words.

"And they were acting as if they expected me to know what they were talking about." Nick said, "I would have asked them what that was all about when I took my eyes of them for one second and they vanished."

Judy nodded. She was beamed at Nick for having lowered his guard against two strange and hostile mammals like that, even if for just a few seconds. She was not sure if she believed that thing of them having "disappeared", but she also had no reasons to doubt Nick's word.

"Did you had a good look at these two?" She asked him, "Would you probably recognize them if you saw them again?"

"A lion and a coyote, they are easy to spot. And you know that I'm a good physiologist." Nick said, "I'm pretty sure I would remember the faces of these two if I met them on the street."

Judy nodded. "Maybe we should take a look at the station, see if we have these two in the records, maybe they have files… I still find it suspicious that they were so keen on your family name."

Nick shrugged. "Yeah, they wanted a proof that I was a Wilde. That I was 'with the clan'. As if I was Irish or something."

Judy made notes on all that Nick said, both regarding their current case and the observations on the run-in that the fox had with these two mammals. She would have to take a look at that later on, because if they truly had gotten a problem with Nick they could come for him later on.

"We should be ready for these two if they come back." Judy said, "Tell me if you see both again, okay?"

"As you wish, Carrots." Nick said, "You had to see that coyote, though. He was actually trying to hypnotize me, waving his hands and everything. He was just missing the watch to swing in front of my muzzle while he said 'you are falling under my power'. Man, I bet he is great at a party."

Judy rolled her eyes, and she put her pen and notebook aside, as she got ready to drive again. "Okay, enough of this, time to go back to work." She said as she started the cruiser, and Nick smiled.

"Good thinking, Officer Carrots." He said, "If we go back to the job now, we can finish it in time for our movie weekend."

* * *

A lot changed in Nick's life ever since he became a cop, at precisely one year ago, February 2nd of 2017. For beginners, he started to walk in police cruisers on the front seats, instead of the back, and he was actually the one who was chasing after criminals, instead of running _from_ the police.

Before his change of careers, his worst fear was of being caught and arrested by a cop who was smarter than your average cop. Now, his personal boogieman was the paperwork that was related to the work of an officer. Way more than Nick ever imagined, it can be added.

Finally, Nick had developed a new tradition for his weekend nights. From spending his night alone and looking for some cheap excuse for entertainment, he changed to meet with his bunny friend at her apartment and have a nice movie on CatFlix and some pizza or another good food.

At that night, they took a particularly long time to end their shift, as Judy was insistent into looking into these two mammals that Nick had run into. It took Nick's insistence and Bogo's promise that he would look into that to make her let go of it.

With this, they ended their shift, trade from their uniform to their casual clothes, and took a metro to Judy's place, upon arriving, they could hear something:

"I told you I was not making dinner tonight! Right before you left!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did! It is not my fault that you were in such a hurry that you didn't hear me!"

"I was in a hurry because you didn't woke me up like I asked you, so I got late for work!"

"I called you! But you told me to leave you alone so you could continue to sleep!"

"You should have tried to call me again!"

"I called you three times!"

"You should have tried a fourth!"

"Oh, shut up! I have more important things to do than watching over your chronograms!"

"Oh, _you_ shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"I see our dear Oryx-Antlersons are home already." Nick said as he had already had the "pleasure" of meeting Judy's crazy neighbors. Hearing their squabbles had proven to be an interesting experience, and while it made him quite uncomfortable on the first time that he heard it coming from the next door, it proved to be quite the comedy material. Nick could already imagine something like that being part of a sitcom.

"What I'm going to eat? I'm hungry!"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic! Just call get the phone and call for some grub!"

"Why don't _you_ call some grub?"

"Because I already ate!"

"But I haven't! So you should call some food for me!"

"I'm not your butler!"

"I see that the subject is, once more, dinner." Nick said as Judy unlocked the door and she and Nick walked inside.

"Hey, boys! I'm home!"

"Hey, Hopps!" One of them said, "We were wondering when you were going to come!"

"Is the fox there with you again?"

"Yes, he is!" Nick called out "Thanks for remembering of me, guys!"

"You are in for the movie night again? Would you mind not leaving it too loud this time? Last night it was hard to sleep with the noise of the tv on your side."

"Okay, we'll keep it down!" Judy said, as she picked her laptop, turned both it and the tv on, and plugged both machines together.

"So, what options do we have tonight?" Nick asked, and Judy smiled at him.

"Well, we have Lady Herd, Fast and The Furry, the Star Trunk movies, Rocky Bearboa, and the Jurassic Pork movies."

Nick thought about the options for a while. "Yeah, I'm in for some action. Fast cars and some nice ladies sounds good, so let's go for Fast and Furry."

"Which one?" Judy asked as she finished preparing the movie.

"The last one sounds nice. I haven't watched it yet."

"Good." She said, and walked to the fridge s the tv was ready, the image of CatFlix page showing in it, with the movie just waiting to be played. She walked to the fridge, surely to grab their grub.

"So, we are having re-heated pizza and some old soda, like last time?" Nick asked, getting himself comfy as he took an advantageous position to look at the screen of the television.

"Actually, we have some roasted chicken and carrot and broccoli salad, with some nice blueberry pie for dessert."

Nick's ears perked, as he turned to look at the bunny. "Wait, seriously?"

Judy was looking at him as she removed a plate with a plastic-wrapped chicken and a bowl from the fridge. "Yep, both straight from a nearby grocery store, bought yesterday." She added to him. "And the blueberry pie was courtesy of my parents back from BunnyBurrow."

"Wow…" Nick said, his mouth was already watering. "This surely sounds nice."

"Well, I wanted this night to be a good one." Judy said, unwrapping the chicken and placing it in the microwave. "Afterall, today we celebrate exactly one year since you have joined the ZPD. It is a special night." She smiled warmly at him, and Nick smiled back.

"Ms. Hopps, I really feel touched that you remembered." Nick said, and Judy smiled at him.

"Mr. Wilde, what kind of friend would I be if I forgotten?"

"She has been about it for a few days!" A voice on the other side of the wall said. "She was on the phone a lot of times, insisting to have the blueberry pie today!"

Judy groaned as her ears fell back, and Nick couldn't help but snicker a bit. As funny as it was, he truly did felt touched that Judy had remembered, and that she had actually planned something special to celebrate.

Good movie with a good friend, with chicken and blueberry pie?

Nick already knew that it was going to be a good night.

* * *

The movie was good, with a lot of fast-paced action, some romance, a good dosage of comedy, and a very nice ending. All of that accompanied by some very nice food that had been provided by the bunny host.

The night had been nice, and the fox and bunny both could agree with that, as they shared the big chair, sitting so close to each other that they were nearly snuggling to each other. As they saw the ending credits rolling in.

"Best. Movie. Ever." Nick said as he finished his blueberry pie, slouching in the chair as he felt full and satisfied after the awesome night.

"Yeah, it was a good movie." Judy admitted. "I particularly liked when they made the great chase with the switching of cars in the end." She admitted, "It was great."

"Totally!" Nick agreed, "And when they dropped with their cars from the airplane? Wow!" He said, sounding really excited for that. "I wonder if we could pull something like that in real life."

"Nick, why would we need to jump with cars out of a plane?" Judy asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe some special mission?" Nick offered, smiling at her, and Judy could only chuckle at this.

"Hey, can you two tune down your talking?" A voice said from the other side of the wall. "We are kind of trying to watch our tv in here!"

"You two still up?" Judy asked, "It is… a quarter to midnight." Judy said, and the answer came again.

"Yeah, Pronk wanted to stay up to see the Pred-Pride Show! Even though he just complained today that he woke up late and was late for work!"

"Oh, come on! Hyena Gomez and Catty Perry both are going to perform! You know I am a huge fan of them!"

"How late is it going to end, anyway?" Bucky asked, and the two friends shared a look.

"Oh, yeah." Nick said, "It is this week, right?"

The Pred-Pride Show was an event that was made a part of the National Predator Pride Week of this year. It was a great show that was going to happen with many artists, taking place on the city of Fangtropolis, a coastal city around 100 miles from Zootopia, nearly as big as it, but not as famous, and with a ratio of a predator-prey population of 8 to 4. Quite appropriate that it was chosen to the Pred-Pride Show.

"I heard it is going to be quite special this year." Nick said, looking thoughtful. He then said to the wall. "Hey, think that they will have Lady Baa Baa performing?"

"Maybe! I'm not sure! I heard that Gazelle is also going to perform!" one of the neighbors said, and Nick looked at the bunny.

"You want to watch it?" Judy asked him. "I mean, it is quite late."

"Well, it is already near midnight, right?" Nick said, "And, you said yourself that this is a special night, right? We don't have work tomorrow, so I guess we can allow ourselves to have a little late night music appreciation, can't we? Besides, it is a good opportunity to give our own support to the National Predator Pride, ain't I right?"

The smug look on Nick's face was enough to make Judy roll her eyes. Still, she could not help but agree with some of what he said. Judy knew that some of her favorite artists were on this show. They truly had a day off tomorrow, so there would be not really a problem if they stayed up till late seeing tv and slept until late in the morning.

Taking the remote, Judy switched the television back to the cable, and soon, they were watching a live feed from a place that was showing the preparations for a great show.

* * *

"…And this is proving to be quite a very promising show." Said a wolf reporter as he was wearing black clothing as he stood in front of the camera mammal who was recording him on his live feds. "As you can see behind me, the last preparations for the show are just being made, as the public waits anxiously for the opening of the fifth Pred-Pride Show." He gestured behind himself, where it was possible to see a great crowd of mammals reunited in front of a great stage."

"Among the artists performing in this event are Justin Beaver, Ed Sheepan, and the famous singer Gazelle. For a better view of the event, we are now passing to Henry Dogbert and the rest of our helicopter crew. Henry, do you hear me?"

* * *

Up in the air, in a helicopter of Channel 8, was a team formed by a German Shepherd reporter, an antelope camera mammal, and a puma pilot, they were getting ready to get things on air.

The antelope pointed the camera at the German Shepherd, Henry Dogbert, the reporter. As the dog started to talk.

"Yes, Frank. I can hear you clearly." Dogbert said to the camera as the antelope focused on him. "We are here in the helicopter, and from here we have a very good view of the show."

The antelope maneuvered the camera, so it was now pointed at the place where the show was going to happen. The stage was huge, enough for a group of elephants to dance in it with no problems, and the stands were already filled with a lot of mammals who were in there to see the show.

"The show will be starting within minutes, and as we can see, a great number of mammals have already arrived." Dogbert narrated as his camera mammal continued to capture the images of the crowd. "Some of the securities have accounted already over sixty thousand guests in the audience, maybe the bigger one yet compared to the previous Pred-Pride Shows."

The antelope moved the camera as to pick a better angle of the audience, allowing to see just how massive it was.

"We see a lot of mammals down there. Most of them are predators, inhabitants of the city of Fangtropolis, with around 10 million inhabitants, being around 87% of the predators of varied species. Now, how many of the members of the audience are citizens of Fangtropolis, and how many are mammals who traveled all the way here to watch the show." Dogbert continued to narrate, as he looked down at the gaggle of mammals of all kinds down there, admired at how many mammals had been in there already. "Yes, we can surely say that this edition of the Pred-Pride Show is going to be the biggest yet."

* * *

"Oww, that sounds so great!" Judy said as she looked at how many mammals were gathered in there through the television. If the number of mammals that went to watch were of any indication on how good an event was, then this was surely going to be great, as it gathered thousands of mammals to watch it.

"I bet it is great. I wish we could be in there."

"Oh, yeah." Nick said as he popped open another can of soda. "Being up in the middle of the night, among a crowd of mammals way bigger than us that would be dancing and walking around, nearly stomping on us, while they would be throwing their trash around for some of it fall on us. Sure, Carrots, it sounds great."

"Oh, come on Nick. It would be nice. It would be like the Concert on the Animalia Arena on the week that you graduated. You loved that show, didn't you?" Judy said as she remembered how cool it was being in that show, and how Nick himself seemed to really enjoy the show if the smile on his face was any indication. But again, Nick had that smile on most of the time.

"Yeah, I did like that." Nick said, "But I still don't quite like crowds, especially when they are moving too much. I remember how I had to watch my tail so no one would step on it back in that concert."

"I agree with the fox!" A voice came from the other side of the wall. "It looks that there are so many mammals in there that it must be hard to move! I would never be comfortable in there!"

"Because you are way too expansive!" the other voice said, "Seriously, we can hardly sit too close together!"

"Oh, don't be dramatic! Besides, we sleep on the same bed! I never quite heard you complain!"

Judy rolled her eyes, and Nick chuckled. That was one of the times when he wished to pull out his cellphone and put it to record what he was hearing. It was the "Bucky and Pronk's Show"! On a wall very near you!

But instead, he and Judy just continued to focus on the television, as they wanted to see the show.

* * *

_"So, Henry, we really are looking forward to a great show tonight, right?"_ The wolf reporter, Frank Howlen, said through the radio to his fellow in the sky, now that they both were off the air and just talking between each other, and the German shepherd was happy to answer.

"I would say we are, Frank." He said, and the camera mammal continued to look at the crowd below, and Henry himself looked down at the show going on bellow as he was amazed that there were so many mammals down there, and there were still others coming. "There are still some mammals coming and joining the crowd. We can see cars coming from the highways, and some mammals are coming on foot. It seems that everyone has decided to come to see what is going on."

_"Well, this is no surprise, considering how many celebrities are taking part on this event. I feel lucky that I am here myself, for I can see some of my own personal celebrities, I hope I can see them performing."_ Frank admitted in the radio, and he even added, "_I'm actually quite envious of you, Henry. You are u there in the high, and you can see all from an amazing angle."_

"Yeah, I know." Henry said, wanting to laugh with his friend. "Well, I'll make sure to capture some amazing shots up here so I can show it to you."

Someone cleared their throat nearby, and Henry Dogbert looked to see the antelope camera mammal looking at him.

"I mean… _we_ will capture some nice images." He added, and the antelope went back to recording.

Henry looked over as something called his attention. It seemed… like some kind of light in the city, and it was rising from the ground and floating in the air. It was shining in a brilliant and otherworldly golden light.

As Henry took sight of it, his camera mammal also noticed it by looking at the dog and following his gaze.

_"Henry? Is it something wrong?"_ Frank asked through the radio, and Henry didn't answered right away, as he looked at this mysterious thing.

Whatever it was, was glowing brighter by the second. By the place it was, it was a little far from the show, closer to the center of the city. Maybe somewhere in the central part of the city, was it some kind of aircraft? Maybe another helicopter? But why was it glowing so much?

_"Henry?"_ Frank asked again, and this time the dog answered.

"Frank, I'm seeing something from here. It is around six or seven miles from here, near the center of Fangtropolis, and it is rising in the air and glowing."

_"What? Some kind of craft?"_

"I'm not sure…" Henry said as he squinted to try to look at it better. It was still rising in the air, and it looked as if the shine was getting more intense.

"What could it be?" The dog said to himself, and he felt the impulse to go in there. Henry Dogbert was a mammal that had grown up and studied to one day become a reporter, and he had pursued this for a while.

He got himself a job in channel 8, an important news channel, and in there, he got a job as a reporter.

He was a member of the team that was in there to cover the Pred-Pride Show. It was a big thing. Still, as a reporter, he had been taught to pursue a good story if he was ever able to sniff one. Some even said that he had some kind of nose to smell good stories, and right now, he felt like he could find an interesting story regarding the source of that shine.

_"Henry? You still there, buddy?"_ Frank called him, and Henry took a few seconds to answer to the wolf.

"Frank, do you mind covering the show from the ground for a while?"

_"I guess I wouldn't… Why?"_

"I want to take a look at that." Henry said, making the antelope look at him, "It could be something…"

_"Something… like what?"_

"I don't know… I just want to go take a look at that."

_"Shouldn't we be focusing on the show? They kind of were very keen on it when they gave us the assignment."_

"I'll just be out for a few minutes, I'll be back soon." Henry ensured him, and he added, "I just really want to go see what is that… If it is nothing then I'll come back right away."

There was a silence between them, and after a while, Frank said:

_"The boss probably going to cut off my tail for this… Okay, you can go. I'll cover you up."_

"Thanks, dude." Henry said, "I'm going to pay you a nice crocodile steak when this is over."

_"You already own me a lot of steaks for the things I've done for you."_ Frank said, _"Just try not to get in trouble this time."_

"Okay, thanks." Henry said as he finished talking with his friend, and he turned his attention to the antelope, who was staring at him. "Oh, come on, we are reporters, aren't we?" He asked, giving the mammal a light punch in the shoulder, and the antelope still looked unsure.

"Hey, dude!" Henry said, talking to the pilot through his radio, the sound of the blades of the helicopter making it hard to talk normally. "Do you see that glowing thing over there?" He said, gesturing to the glowing thing that was still rising at a slow pace in the air. Take us there, okay?"

The pilot nodded, and soon, the helicopter was flying in direction to that.

Henry was a reporter, after all, and if there was a chance that there would be a story, he was going after it. Like any good reporter would.

Little did he knew that this would turn out to be a story that he would rather never have found…


	3. The Darkest Hour

**Here is the third chapter of this story that I have decided to write.**

**I wanna thank all of you how are reading and following this story, and who have given it a chance to it.**

**I also want to give my most sincere thanks to ZooFan, who has been helping me write this story. Not only acting as my beta reader, but also sharing with me long conversations and debates about many subjects tghat have helped to flesh out this story.**

**Thank you, my friend; I don't think this project would have made it this far without you.**

**Now, enough of yabbering, let's get on with this chapter!**

**Please, read, review, no flaming and, most important of all: enjoy the story.**

* * *

The National Predator Pride Week was an important event. It was a way of celebrating differences by giving attention to all of the predators out there, big and small. To let them know that they were an important part of society and that they would always have a place in the world.

It was a time of the year when there were all kinds of events prepared, most of it to generate inclusion and to raise the morale of the predators, as well as to encourage the acceptance by the much more numerous prey population.

Among the most popular events of this week, was the Pred-Pride Show. An initiative that reunited artists of all kinds, species, and orders to perform. It was an event that showed that somethings, like the taste for music, would transcend the barrier of species, and to encourage for predator and prey to gather side by side so they could see their favorite artists, and realize that, deep down, they had a lot in common.

Of course, there were some among the population that did not agree with the idea of inclusion and acceptance. They saw it as something that should not happen, and they wanted to fight it with all that they had. Some examples were more known than others. In recent times, the most famous of them had become the one known as "The Night Howler Conspiracy", an attempt to shatter the relationships between predator and prey by using fear and striking in the city of Zootopia, the symbol of coexistence and peace between species.

Luckily, this nasty plot was brought down by two heroes, a prey and a predator, who worked together to put the responsible behind bars and return the peace to the city. Since then, the mammals were working hard to help continue the building of the acceptance and the understanding between the many mammals of the world, and that was why the following two Pred-Pride Shows were bigger than the previous ones.

This one, said to be the biggest yet, was made exactly in the city of Fangtropolis. A city that had a great population of predators within it, exactly to encourage others to give attention to this city, that showed, just like Zootopia, that it was possible for predator and prey to live together and in peace as friends.

That was why so much had been invested in this year's show.

Frank looked over as he could notice that the crowd was waiting anxiously for the show to begin. The wolf himself was quite anxious for it, as it was normal to be when something really great is about to happen.

A buzzing on his ear broke him out of his daydream, and he could hear a familiar, feminine voice on his head.

"_Frank? Do you copy?_"

"Oh, Gilda!" Frank said, speaking on his mic as he held the earpiece in his ear, to better hear the voice of his supervisor.

Gilda Pelton was a female bear who was in charge of the news crew that had been assigned for this mission. She was the kind of mammal of who you would not wish to get on the bad side, as she could be quite ferocious and fearsome when things were hard. She knew when to speak up and when to raise her voice to impose respect and to let others knew who was in charge, making her the perfect mammal to direct crews. Of course, she was not antisocial, by any means, she was actually the best person you could hope to meet, as long as she was not in a bad mood, and you did nothing to piss her off. Everyone of the crew respected her, and they also had a decent amount of fear of her.

"_Frank, this show is crazy! It hasn't even started yet and camera four has gotten two antelopes trying to climb on the stage!" _Gilda spoke, and Frank could only smile at this.

"Yeah, this show is going to be huge." He admitted as he looked at the crowd, his own camera mammal, a zebra girl, was sitting next to him as she took a few sips of some mango juice. She looked rather bored as she looked around.

"_Yeah, actually, we are needing a better angle from the crowd, that is why I'm calling you."_ Gilda said to him through his earpiece.

"Oh, so you are hoping that we can get a better angle from our camera?" Frank said, turning to the zebra, who looked back at him. "Well, it might be a little hard, but I'm sure we could capture some good images. Still, it could be better to use some of the other cameras, right? I mean, they are right above the crowd in many places?"

"_Yeah, no._" Gilda said to him before she continued. "_I was thinking of images from the helicopter. I have been trying to contact Henry, but he is not answering. Do you think you can contact him from your end?_"

This made Frank stop, as the smile vanished from his muzzle.

He did not answer right away, and this caught the attention of the bear on the other end of the radio.

"_Frank?"_

"O-oh… You… you are looking for Henry?" Frank said, his voice stammering a bit, as a forced smile appeared in his muzzle. The zebra looked at him, and she could not help but chuckle a bit at the face the wolf was making.

"_Frank…"_ Gilda's voice came once more, this time in a more serious tone.

When Frank heard that tone, he knew the situation was serious, and he suddenly saw himself thorn between two basic instincts: one side, his instinct of loyalty, that told him to cover up for his friend; on the other end, was his own sense of self-preservation, that was screaming at him, for everything holy, not to try and lie to Gilda.

"_Frank..."_ Gilda's voice came once more_ "Where. Is. Henry?"_

* * *

The helicopter moved through the air as they got closer and closer to the glowing thing.

It was already a few hundred meters in the air, nearly as tall as the buildings close, and it continued to glow as it got higher and higher. As they got close, they could notice that it was somewhat spherical, unlike any kind of aircraft that any of them knew. Not only round, the thing was nearly perfectly spherical, and the whole form glowed almost as if it was mini sun.

"What is that thing?" The antelope camera mammal asked as they moved closer. Henry really wished he could answer that, but he had no idea as for what the object was. However, he felt that it gave him a certain feeling, now that they were close. A feeling of being small and meaningless, as if that thing was much bigger than himself, not only in size but in importance. That, and also the feeling that he somehow wanted the thing for himself…

They got closer to the orb. Suddenly, the whole helicopter jolted. Henry and the antelope quickly grabbed for something so they wouldn't fall, and the pilot had to make a little effort to get the helicopter back at normal.

"Hey! What was that, dude?" Henry asked annoyed, "Are you piloting this thing right?"

"It wasn't me!" The cougar said as he checked on the equipment. "Something went wrong with the equipment for a moment, but it is normal now."

"Okay," Henry said, as he looked back at the thing, which was still rising in the sky. "Can you get us closer?"

"Not without knowing what that thing is." The cougar said firmly. It was obvious that he would not be taking any chances. He might not be the most experienced pilot around, but he knew well enough not to get too close to something airborne and unidentified.

Henry looked at the orb, and he was trying his best to try to figure out what it was.

The cougar pilot suddenly took a hand to his ear, as his radio buzzed, and someone talked on his ear. The cougar turned to the two in the back and said:

"Frank is on the radio!" The two looked at him. "He says for you to turn your earpiece back on, Gilda wants to talk to you!"

Henry groaned. That was the kind of thing that he wanted to avoid, and the exact reason why he had turned it off, so he could later use the excuse that there was a flaw in the equipment that prevented communication. He even made his camera mammal turn his own off, but he forgot that the pilot also had one.

Sighing in defeat, he turned his earpiece once more back on, and soon, he was saying:

"Hey, Gilda! Heard you wanted to talk to me."

"_I'm going to cut off your tail, slow-roast it and them feed it to you._"

She was not yelling. This was a very bad sign.

"So… how things going?" He said, with a smile on his face, trying to keep his cool, and the bear on the other side said:

"_Your job was just to hover over the crowd and gives us some images from above. Only that. Only THAT!"_ Gilda snarled from the other side, and Henry actually flinched at this. "_But of course! You had to 'pull a Henry' in such an important event like that!"_

Henry kind of disliked that expression that they had invented especially based on him back at work. Still, he had to defend himself from this tirade while he was still allowed to talk.

"It was for a good cause!" He said in his defense. "I saw something-"

"_I gave you a job!"_ Gilda shot back, cutting the German shepherd in the middle of his explanation. "_Could you, at least once, do as you are told!?"_

"It looked like a good story!" Henry said, "I'm in the chopper, near the center, and there is a huge thing happening!" He said, as he looked at the thing. "Like, REALLY huge! Around sixty feet diameter!"

"_What in the world are you talking about!?_"

Henry looked at the camera mammal, as the antelope continued to look at the glowing sphere. Henry tapped him in the shoulder, calling his attention. He gestured to the thing as he mouthed "get on the camera". The antelope obeyed, and he was getting the camera ready, while Henry continued to talk to Gilda.

"We are sending some images now. Take a look for yourself!"

As he said that, the antelope had the camera ready and was getting the glowing sphere on the camera. There was a silence as the images were captured and transmitted back to the crew, and then, Gilda's voice came once more.

"_What the heck… What is that thing?"_

"Beats me," Henry said, as he continued to look at it. "I noticed something glowing and I decided to investigate. We are kind of close to it, and we are still not sure of what it is, but it is moving up, and id doesn't looks like any kind of craft I've seen."

"_… could… could it be related to the Show?_"

"I don't know." Henry said, "I don't really think it has to do with the show, but it does looks like a story. Don't you think?"

There was a silence, and the thing continued to rise in the air as if it was a giant, glowing balloon. Henry said once more:

"I want to cover it."

"_What?... Wait, you mean right now!?"_ Gilda's voice said, and the dog agreed.

"Yeah! I mean, why not?"

"_Because you are supposed to be covering the show! We all are supposed to be covering the show! This is what this is all about! This is why they sent us here!"_

"What, so I ignore this!?" Henry said in outrage, "The mysterious glowing sphere thing that is floating in the middle of one of the most famous cities of the country? Something that could be part of a very important story and that we just stumbled upon before even the local news? This is not what reporters do, and you know it, Gilda! Our job is to go after the news and let others know about them, and what better time than now, when we are live on a national scale?"

There was a silence following his words, as Gilda seemed to be considering what he was saying. After a few moments, came her voice once more through the radio:

"_If we _do_ transmit this thing in national scale, and it turns out to be nothing…_"

"I'll take full responsibility." Henry said with no hesitation, "I'll even cut my own tail off so you can give it to the boss."

Another silence, and after a while, a sigh of resignation from the other side of the radio.

"_You will be on air in sixty seconds. Be ready._"

* * *

"Man, when the show is going to start?" Pronk asked loudly, as he was sitting in front of the TV in a chair, with a can on his hand and a bowl of popcorn on the other.

"Maybe it will start when it starts!" Bucky replied, as he was laying on the bed, with a book on his hooves, which he was trying to read.

"Why these things are always so late!?" Pronk complained.

"Because all of the artists are either nocturnal or insomniac!" Bucky said, "Or maybe because they know that the people who like to watch it are guys who enjoy being awake until late as if they had nothing important to do in the mornings!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

"Hey, are you two gonna be at this all night?" Judy's voice came from the other side of the wall. "It will be hard to listen to the music if you do!"

"Sorry! We will tune it down!" Bucky said, "See, you are bothering the neighbors!"

"You were yelling too! So stop trying to push it all on me!"

Bucky was opening his mouth, ready to give a reply, when the TV said:

"_Here is Frank Howlen from the Pred-Pride Show, with breaking news from our helicopter crew!_"

The two were distracted from their squabbling as they looked at the TV, looking at the wolf reporter who was looking back at the camera.

"_Just moments ago, our aircrew noticed something unusual form above, and they went to investigate. They are in the local right now, and we will pass to them at this very moment. Henry, it is with you!"_

* * *

Henry was composed as the camera was pointed at him, and as soon as he knew that he had his cue, he started to talk:

"Thanks, Frank. Yes, we were up here covering the event when something called our attention, and we decided to investigate…" The antelope glared at him, the dog ignored and he continued to narrate "Well, by looking over, you can see what we are seeing and, I gotta say, it is quite a sight…"

As he spoke, the antelope turned the camera and focused it into the object. It was still raising in the air, and it continued to shine as bright as before.

"As you can see, the object is rather spherical, with sixty, maybe seventy feet in diameter." Henry said as the helicopter flew around the object, as it continued to ascend. "It is floating around seven hundred feet above ground level, in the center of Fangtropolis, and it is still raising in the air."

"Now, we are still not sure of what this object is, but it is quite a sight." Henry said, "By the way that it is rising in the air, and by the shape, we could even say it could be some kind of balloon, or similar object, but it is too soon to…"

Henry was stopped in mid-thought, as suddenly, the air started to vibrate around them. Henry blinked as he could feel that vibration, bigger than the one of the helicopter's blades, passing through his chest and through his body. He took a few moments to register this feeling before he realized that it was coming from the sphere.

"Wait, I… I think that something is happening with the object…" Henry said as the sphere was now glowing brighter. Nearly twice as bright as it was before, so much that now it was kind of painful to look directly at it, and it seemed as if it was… pulsing, or more accurately beating somehow…

Suddenly, the helicopter jolted, and this time the puma had to struggle to recover control over it.

"_Henry? Henry!"_ Frank's voice came from the radio, as the helicopter recovered control, and Henry and the camera mammal both recovered enough to recompose themselves.

"I'm fine! I'm fine." Henry said as he looked up at the thing, as the helicopter was forced to move down, and now they were circling beneath the glowing sphere. "Yes, there is definitely something happening!"

The sphere of light was pulsing now, and it was possible not just to see but to feel it. A sound, subtle but constant, was in there as if the hum of an engine or a beating of a heart.

Henry could notice it in the place where he was, and he was not the only one.

On the nearby buildings, and on the ground bellow, other mammals could notice the presence of the glowing thing. Mammals were looking through the windows of their homes at the glowing thing or coming out to look, some of them were even snapped out of their sleep by that thing.

Matter of fact, that thing was now shining so bright that even the people from the show, at eight miles away, took knowledge of its existence, as they turned their heads to look at the glowing thing in the sky, and the way that it pulsed.

However, who was the closest was still Henry and his team, as they were so close that they could feel the pulsing of the great thing on their bones, as the hum seemed to be getting stronger. Almost like an engine charging and slowly starting to work.

"There is… some kind of sound coming from the sphere." Henry said as the antelope continued to have the thing in focus, and the dog was now trying to find the best possible words to describe what was happening, even though it was hard.

"As you can see, it seems like the sphere is… charging, or something…" Henry said, as he shielded his eyes with his arm and looked way. "As if it was getting ready to…" He was about to say but trailed as something in the ground caught his attention. It looked like some sort of red light.

"What the..?"

Henry looked at that red glow, which in seconds started to grow brighter as if it was a small star. Henry barely had time to manifest surprise, when the red glow shot up from the ground and rose in the air like a rocket. It passed by the chopper as it went up, its movement rocking the aircraft slightly.

Henry was able to look up in time to see the red dot fly straight to the sphere.

"Something… something just passed by us and…" Henry tried to form words, but he didn't have time, for, at that moment, all hell broke loose.

A loud sound came from the sphere, different from anything that Henry had heard, but the closest thing that came into mind was a scream of pain. A flash of red light mixed with the golden of the sphere. The two glows mixed, forming a strong, intense orange coloration, and then, in a second, it dimmed. No not just dimmed though like it was being choked out. Upon closer inspection, with the sphere, Henry could see where the red light had impacted with the sphere because it was where a black spot had appeared on the once flawless surface. In fact, if Henry strained his eyes he could see that the black color was spreading over the surface of the Sphere and he could hear the scream like sound grow louder. In a blink of an eye the black spread all over the orb, like it was alive and seeking to destroy the golden light. Once the last bit of light was extinguished the screaming sounds stopped completely, choke off like the owner of the scream has died. Now in front of the helicopter stood a black sphere looking like a dark sun. Henry was about to comment on the change of event but he never did because the sphere itself exploded.

Literally exploded.

The giant sphere seemed to rupture itself, as the red light projected outwards to all directions. The explosion was so strong that the shockwave caused the windows of nearby buildings to shatter, causing the glass to rain down on the streets. Some buildings actually shook. Comets of red light projected out of the explosion, flying across the sky, and some of them actually hit the buildings. Red bolts of lightning came from the sphere as it was destroyed, and they hit the clouds, right before the force of the blast blew the clouds themselves away.

The chopper was caught by the strength of the explosion, and suddenly, it was spinning in the air, as the pilot tried to recover control over the craft.

* * *

Judy gasped as the explosion took care of the image, right before the image went off the air, static taking its place.

"Oh, my gosh! What happened!?" The bunny cried out, while she and Nick both stood on the edge of the chair, both of them unable to take their eyes off the screen. On the other side of the wall, Bucky and Pronk were not much better.

"What the heck was that!?" Pronk yelled.

"How am I suppose to know!?" Bucky shot back, as they both had their eyes glued into the screen.

* * *

The explosion was so intense that many of the mammals who were in the street could feel it, and it was what was needed for many of them to start to run and scream.

Eight miles away, at the Show, many mammals were looking at the place where the orb exploded. They were not close enough to be on panic for the thing exploding, but they were still able to feel the explosion, and this was enough for many of them to be worried.

Frank, in particular, was worried once he saw that the thing had exploded when the chopper was close to it, and now he was unable to see it.

"By Fenrir's fangs!" Frank cried out. "Henry!" He reached out for his earpiece and was trying to contact his friend. "Henry!"

"_What in the entire Hell was that!?"_ Gilda's voice came through the earpiece.

"It exploded!" Frank cried out back at her. "The thing just… it just exploded!"

"_What about Henry?"_

"I don't know!"

Frank felt frantic, and he continued to try to contact him. "Frank? Frank, are you there!? Do you copy!?"

"_Henry! Henry!? Do you hear us!? Henry!?"_ Gilda called, as she too was trying to contact the German shepherd.

"Henry?"

Silence.

Only silence.

"HENRY!"

Suddenly, a buzz, and a familiar voice came through the radio.

"_I-I'm here! I'm here! W-we are okay! I think…"_

Frank let out a sigh as a wave of relief had washed over him. Henry was fine.

* * *

For a moment in there, Henry actually thought that the helicopter was going to fall from the sky and crash on the ground, but the cougar who was piloting was able to recover control over the craft, and now they were hovering, as the orange glow of the explosion continued to shine down on them.

"I expect a raise after this!" The cougar screamed as he made his best to remain calm and have the craft under control.

"Me too!" The antelope screamed, holding to the camera as if it was the only thing that had kept him from crashing in the ground.

"_Henry! Henry, you idiot!"_ Frank's voice came through the radio. "_I thought that this time you had actually got yourself killed!_"

"Hah! As if!" Henry said confidently, trying to sound brave, but he felt like he had almost wet his pants. "It is not yet that you guys got rid of me!"

_"Guys, we are all happy that Henry is okay, but we are still live! Henry, tell us what happened! Look at the camera and tell us what happened!_" Gilda said in a no-nonsense tone.

"O-oh! Right!" Henry said as he recomposed himself, and he looked at the antelope, who was still shaking. "Come on, dude, it is still a story!" Henry said, and the antelope glared at him. "I'll compensate you somehow, I promise, but now we gotta tell mammals what is going on!"

The antelope looked at him for a few moments, still shaken, the antelope was now pointing the camera back at Henry.

"So… the glowing sphere that we were watching has exploded." Henry said as the camera was focusing on him. "It seems that, something came from the ground and hit it, and it caused some short of explosion." The dog explained as he gestured. "As you can see, the explosion is still… well, it is still over us, as the flames seem to be… wait, something else is happening…"

The antelope looked ready to faint as he turned the camera back to the explosion. The red glow was still intense, projecting outwards like a cloud of flames and smoke, but something was happening to the fire. It looked as it was being sucked back in as if the explosion was now sucking its contents back.

It took only around ten seconds, and soon, the red light died down as it was sucked into the center.

Said center, was a ball of pure blackness, so black that the night sky looked bluish against it. Henry looked at it, and he was able to describe what he was saying.

"Now we are seeing… a new ball… wait… no, it seems like… some kind of black hole." Henry said, "As strange as it sounds, it is like someone has… well, I don't know how to describe, it is like the explosion has punched a hole in the air." Henry said, and as he spoke, suddenly, a gush of wind came outwards from that hole, as if it was a breeze coming out of it into the open air.

Henry was unable to describe after that, for at that moment, a feeling crept on his chest. The fur on his back and on his tail all stood on end. His instincts told him to turn around and run as fast as he could and not look back.

His instincts told him to escape from that place. Every instinct that he had was telling him to turn tail and run. As if his very soul knew:

Something horrible was about to happen.

And it did.

Something was leaking from the hole.

At first, it was trickling, but the flow increased as more and more leaked. Until it was a waterfall.

Henry and the antelope could only look as the cascade of black muck leaked out of the hole and in direction to the ground.

It connected with the ground, and the muck started to pool and to spread as it continued to come from the hole.

"By my ancestor's fangs… Guys, do you see this?" Henry said as he looked down. "There is… some kind of black mud leaking from the hole! What in the world is that!?"

Down below, some of the mammals who had come out to see what was going on looked as the black slime came, nearly in waves, as it leaked across the streets and soon it was reaching the mammals. The mammals immediately wanted to move away from it, but some of them were not agile enough to avoid the thing.

It came around them, touching their ankles and tails.

And immediately setting them alight in red flames as they ignited with the mere contact.

The mammals who saw it immediately started to run, screaming as they tried to get away from the mud. However, the mud was coming in waves, and it was soon proving to be faster than some of the mammals, who were hit by the mud, and immediately ignited into flames, screaming as they were swallowed by the flames, disappearing from sight.

Above, the helicopter was flying above the streets, and they were able to capture images of what was going one down there. Images of the mammals running from the mud, and being set alight and swallowed by it as soon as it touched them, were captured by the camera, as the antelope has wide eyes as he looked at that, and Henry was not better.

"Oh God! OH GOD!" Henry nearly screamed as he saw that happening down there. "T-the mud is… it is flowing across the streets and… the mammals! Oh, god!" Henry cried out as he saw a couple of elephants just be set in flames and flail about as the mud had reached them. They flailed a while, before falling in the ground and being swallowed by the wave of black mud.

Mammals continued to run. A coyote was running, but she tripped and fell to the ground. The other mammals passed desperate by her as she tried to get up. She looked at the passing mammals, but none of them stopped to give her a helping paw. She barely saw the mud approaching, until she looked back with horror, just in time to see the mud raise like a wave and envelop her like a dark, thick blanket.

The mud continued to slide forwards into the city, catching not only the mammals but what else was in it's path. Trees would start to burn into red flames as soon as the mud touched them. Mailboxes and streetlights would start to burn and to melt under the touch of the mud. Even vehicles were affected, as the cars started to melt under the effect of the mud, but they were resilient enough not to be immediately destroyed by it, as a result, the cars were floating into the mud just like they would over water during a flood. In some of the said cars, there were even mammals, who had climbed on them in a desperate attempt to be safe from the mud that they were unable to outrun. However, these attempts were useless, as the cars would either sink into the mud or be turned around and tumble over due to the flow, causing the mammals to invariably fall victims of the same fate as the others.

The mud moved forward, like a cloud of devouring locusts, destroying what was on its path. Mammals would start burning nearly immediately after being touched by it. The red flames would involve their bodies and burn through their clothing and fur easily, and soon it would reach the flesh beneath it, and start to burn away nearly immediately. Those who would not be swallowed by the mud right after catching on fire would be able to run a few dozen feet while they screamed before they would fall to the ground and desperately claw their own bodies in a feeble attempt to put the fire out, but it was useless. These flames were too hot, and they seemed not to go out easily. Besides, any stop that they made to try and put the flames out would only cause them to be caught by the tide of black mud, which would not stop moving, and would only get faster and faster, as more of it poured from the hole in the air.

It was still spreading. And spreading. It didn't looked like it would stop anytime soon.

It was truly horrible.

And it was not over yet.

The mud continued to spill out of the hole, as it formed a tide in the streets, filling everything that was on its path, destroying anything unlucky enough to be on its way. Be it mammals, trees, things on the streets. Even the buildings themselves weren't safe, as the mud was able to eat away through the rock and the metal, chipping and melting pieces of the constructions as it passed by them, even though they were still strong enough to stand where they were as it swept across them.

All the while, the helicopter was still in the air, capturing images of what was going down for everyone to see. The one's inside were only able to look helplessly at the surreal scene of destruction going on beneath them.

Henry was speechless as he looked at the horror going on down there. Still, something stirred to continue to talk. Something stirred him to take the microphone near his muzzle and to continue to speak.

"T-this is Henry Dogbert, on the center of the destruction!" He was able to speak, his voice sounding disembodied to his own ears as he saw the mud continue to take the city of Fangtropolis. "The mud… is still spreading! It is coming in tides and destroying everything on its path! It is so horrible! It is spreading and will take the city! It… It will reach the Show! If you are in the show, you gotta run, before it gets in there! You gotta run now! Everyone in Fangtropolis who can hear this! You got to run! Run now! Before its too late!"

As Henry finished these words, a building nearby shook. The mud had eaten away at its foundations, making it weak. Soon, the whole thing was crumbling down, in a rain of rubble that fell on other constructions, and splashed into the mud as they ignited in red as soon as they touched it.

It was a matter of time until other buildings would follow, as the mud would eat their foundations until they crumbled like houses of cards.

As the mud continued to flow, it bubbled and slushed over itself as it flowed. The surface moved and twisted with the rhythm of the flow. However, the flowing was more than just that, as the surface took shapes, the mud gathering and twisting as it took shapes, firstly at small mounds, and then as roughish limbs and even faces, as they gurgled and moved.

Soon, the forms made by the mud were getting more and more defined, as the shapes stretched out of the mud, forming arms. The faces stretched out of the mud, forming heads, and these heads opened their mouths, packed with teeth, as they let out screeches and roars, as if of great pain or great fury. All the while the mud continued to flow across the city at an increasing speed, as it moved outwards from the center to the outskirts of the city. Naturally, it was moving in a spread out direction from its epicenter, as a result, it was moving to overtake the whole city, which meant that not even the area where the show was taking place was safe.

* * *

Henry's warning was heard by his team, and even if it wasn't, anyone in the show could notice that something was happening. When the first building collapsed, it was enough for all hell to break loose, as mammals started to run and to scream as they were trying either to run away or to reach their vehicles as fast as they could.

All mammals in there were moving out, both the crowd of fans and the performers of the place. All of them ready to get on stage and sing, the artists found themselves rushing or being rushed as to get away from that place as fast as possible. Among them, the voluptuous Gazelle, who was walking accompanied by her four tigers, as they were aiming to get into a vehicle and rush away from there.

Even the reporters were getting ready to leave.

"Guys! We need to leave, now!" A seven feet tall bear of dark-brown fur and in red clothing screamed from a news van. The rest of the team rushing to save what they could. "Oh, just leave it, is not worth your lives!" Gilda screamed to the guys, and soon, they were giving up and rushing to the van.

"Come on! Come on! No time to lose!" She screamed. "Where the hell are Frank and Jasmine!?"

"There they are!" said a beaver from the crew as Frank and Jasmine, his zebra camera mammal, where both running as fast as they could to the van.

"Guys! Come on! We have to go now!" Gilda screamed, and the two mammals continued to run.

Right after them, came the first wave of the mud, and now, it was even more terrifying, as outstretched arms and deformed faces were coming out of it as it slides forward. These appendages actually stretched, as they moved forward like a chameleon's tongue, grabbing or biting at mammal that was in range.

The ones who were not fast enough to run were either grabbed by a clawed hand or bitten by a demoniac head in the tip of an elongated neck, right before they were pulled back by them, landing right into the mud, which continued to ooze forward.

Frank and Jasmine continued to run as fast as their legs could carry them, and they were almost reaching the van when Jasmine tripped and landed on the ground.

"JASMINE!" Gilda screamed in worry and fright, causing Frank to stop in his tracks and look back, seeing the zebra on the floor, the camera a few feet head of her.

Jasmine was trying to get up, as the mud continued to move their way. At that moment, a deformed face forced in the mud and shot forward in direction to the zebra. She had time to turn her head and look in horror as that thing was coming her way.

She screamed in horror as the outstretched jaws approached her, but they never made contact. Frank had moved forward as used the fallen camera to slam as hard as he could into the head. The impact reduced the camera to broken pieces, but it was enough to make the head turn back and sling back into the incoming mud, merging back into it and vanishing.

Jasmine was panting as she looked in a fearful daze, and was only brought out of it by the voice of Frank, urging her to get up and run, while he held her by the arm and helped her back on her hooved feet.

Soon they were rushing to the van, and Gilda was already waiting for them.

"Come on! Come on, guys! We don't have time! We gotta hurry!" She said as she took Jasmine's hoof, and started to help her into the van. Frank was coming right after, but suddenly, his whole body went stiff and his mouth was open into a mute scream as a gasp escaped from his throat.

Another hand had come from the mud, and it had grabbed his ankle. The contact of the black claw with his bare fur was generating smoke, as the area of contact was glowing red as the mere touch was enough to burn deeply.

"Frank!" Gilda roared her distraught, trying to reach out for the wolf, but it was too late when another hand came and grabbed him by the head, immediately pulling him backward.

"Frank, no!"

The wolf flew in the air as the hands pulling him like slings back to the mud. The poor wolf was already involved in red flames way before he slammed into it, splashing and sinking out of view, nothing more than smoke and the smell of burned fur and flesh left behind.

Gilda was speechless, her mind unable to process what she had just witnessed, and Jasmine was not better, both her hooves covering her mouth, as her eyes were wide in horror. However, they were snapped out of this by the rest of the crew, who remembered them that the mud was still coming their way. Soon the van has its doors slammed shut, and it was speeding up away from the mud, just as it was coming in waves to where the van was just a moment ago.

The van was now speeding across the road, joining other vehicles that were moving away from the mud, leaving behind a stage that was supposed to carry on a show at that night, but which was now being swallowed by a tide of black mud. Everyone was running from there any way they could, most of them through a car or other vehicle, but some were lucky to actually manage to escape from there through the use of the use of the helicopters in the place.

The ones going through wheeled vehicles were speeding the most they could as the mud continued to gain terrain. Some of the vehicles were not fast enough, and they got caught up by the mud, as the vehicle was swallowed by it, melting and catching on fire, dooming the mammals that were inside.

This was not limited only to the place of the show, as the mud was spreading radially from the center to the outside of the city, and all around, the ones who had not been caught by the fire yet were trying to escape the best way they could. Of course, it was difficult, as the mud was coming in tides, and even some of the cars were not fast enough to get away from the mud. Not the mention that many mammals were trying to drive to escape from the mud, and the result of all of these cars trying to get out was that some of them ended up getting in the others' way. That meant that there were crashes, cars skidding to avoid hitting each other, and some were being pushed. The result was pure mayhem in the streets as every mammal was trying to save itself and their families, and the mud only got more time to claim even more victims in this chaos. Matter of fact, the chaos was claiming victims of its own, beating the mud in that aspect.

Smoke was rising from the streets. Screams could be heard through the night air. The stench in the air, the stench of death.

Anyone who was still in the streets of the city could hear it. Be them hidden in the ceiling of a three-store building, on the window of a taller building looking down, or on the helicopter that was still hovering over that scene of destruction.

Channel 8 helicopter just had to move to avoid the debris from yet another building that was collapsing from the mud eating away at its foundations. The cougar pilot did his best to avoid the things from bringing the helicopter down on that destruction, the mere thought of it making him prefer that the helicopter would explode and they all would die before falling into the mud. Meanwhile, the antelope and German shepherd on the helicopter were still looking down on the destruction, capturing images and still transmitting it on a national scale.

"T-there are no words to describe what we are seeing in here!" Henry said as he looked down on what was going on down there. His ears flat against his skull, his expression one of horror as he looked at it. "The mud is taking over Fangtropolis! It seems to be taking the whole city! The mammals… It is a nightmare down there! Is hell!"

As they spoke, the helicopter was flying rather close to the ground, around ten meters, and the mud underneath it started to bubble up as if it was sensing the movement up there. Arms and faces started to form in the mud, and they gathered, intertwining with each other, forming a greater body out of mud, until it formed an arm big enough to grab a car as if it was a toy.

This hand shot forward, stretching to the helicopter, its claws outstretched as if to grab the thing.

The antelope was the first one to notice it, and his eyes widened in horror as he cried out:

"By the horns!"

Henry looked at him, and only then, he noticed the hand shooting in their direction, ready to grab them. His expression one of horror as that arm closed the distance to reach for the helicopter, clawed fingers ready to wrap around the chopper and crush it.

However, this great hand didn't manage to grab the chopper, for, at that moment, a flash of red lightning struck it. The red bolt heated the mud in the span of a second, making it bubble up and explode in a second, resulting into the claw exploding. The shock, combined with the sudden scare of the pilot, granted the chopper to move back from that explosion as globs of black mud flew everywhere. Most of it fell back into the rest of the mud below, but some of it actually landed on the chopper, and actually inside of it.

Some of it landed straight into the camera, as the antelope holding it fell back and scrambled as he tried to resume his footing. When he did recover, he saw the black mud, smoking and eating away at the camera. Screaming out in fear, the antelope threw the camera away as it catches on red flames.

It fell out of the chopper, and the flames enveloped it as it went down, until it landed with a disturbing sound into the river of black mud sloshing beneath.

The pilot was recovering of the scare when a sizzling sound made him look and see that some of the mud had landed on the glass of the chopper, and was eating through it as if it was some kind of acid. Now, the puma had faced a lot in the moments that he had been in there, but that was officially the last straw the pilot could take.

"Okay, screw this! I'm out of here!" He said as he controlled the chopper to make it turn. He didn't care if there was still a "story" in there, or if his bosses would fire him. Heck, he was probably going to quit as soon as he would get to safety. He was taking that chopper out of there, and nothing was changing his mind.

The chopper moved across the air, now moving definitely way from the city and from what was going on down there.

The mud continued to flow, as it was covering all of the streets below, from the center until the outskirts of the city, bubbling and churning as columns of smoke came from the nearby buildings. Some of them were actually on fire, something that the mud had induced. Others of them were ready to collapse, and some did collapse, as the mud had eaten away their foundations.

Not a single mammal was left alive in the streets, as the ones who had dared to get outside were swallowed by the mud, and the ones who had hidden in the buildings were meeting their fate as the buildings would collapse.

The proud city of Fangtropolis was now destroyed. A broken shadow of what it was just minutes ago. All of that done by the mud that now was flowing across its streets, all coming from that hole that had formed into the air. Said hole that continued to spill out the black mud in a waterfall.

However, something started to happen to the hole.

It started to tremble and to get out of focus. As if it was becoming less tangible, less material, less real. The hole started to shrink, and so was the flow of mud that was coming out of it. The waterfall of mud was becoming thinner and thinner, as its source was waning. It reduced in strength, reduced to a trickle of what it was moments ago. The mud was then coming out in spurts, like the water coming out of a hose after the source is dry. Finally, the cascade of mud stopped, as the hole from which it was coming had vanished, not a single trait left behind indicating that it had even existed at all.

As the cascade had stopped, the flow of mud would invariably stop as well. The flow of it across the streets became less intense, slower. The mud was now not moving as much as it was before. The cars that were racing to escape the mud would take a while to notice that the tide of black material had stayed behind and that it was actually stopping.

It took minutes until the mud had completely stopped and settled down. It rested in the streets like a layer of black tar that had covered the whole city, as more buildings collapsed from the effects that the mud had on them. In these events, their fall would cause mud to sprinkle to all sides, but other than that, it seemed that the mud had stopped.

Some of the mammals who had been running from the mud actually stopped as they noticed that it was no longer advancing. Among them, the car that was transporting Gazelle. She was among the lucky ones that had managed to completely escape that horror, along with most of her crew, and also her entrusted dancers. As her car stopped, and she stepped out, she let out a breath that she had been holding, seemingly since the moment that hurry had started, and she rested her hands on her knees to support herself, as she took deep breaths.

The smell of destruction reached her nostrils, and she looked up. From the road on the cliff that her car had stopped, she could see the city. Or what was left of it. It was enough to make her cover her mouth in horror as she stared at the destruction. She felt wetness forming in her eyes, as she backed away from that scene.

She felt a paw landing on her shoulder. Soon, she turned around and buried her face in the chest of whoever it was. It was one of her dancers. She could feel his scent, it was Tyson, he was always the one who was in there to offer her a crying shoulder, and now it was no different. She began to cry on his chest, unable to hold back her tears.

Soon, more vehicles were stopping in the same place, and the drivers and passengers were coming out to breathe, and to look at the destruction the black mud caused.

Horror.

Despair.

Anguish.

Those were the expressions on the faces of every single mammals who looked at that destruction. Gilda just came out of the Channel 8's van that had stopped along with the other vehicles.

The rest of the crew was spilling out, all of them still dizzy for all of the events that had unfolded. Gilda could hear someone sobbing, probably Jasmine. She also could hear someone throwing up, but she could not tell who. She was too busy trying to process all that had happened. To understand what had happened.

Back in the city, the mud, once stopped flowing, could finally start to settle and to dry out. As it did, the mud cracked and broke as it hardened, as pieces of it shattered. These shards broke down even more until they became black dust. Eventually, even this dust itself vanished in the air, as it was carried by the winds and disappeared from sight. Soon, the mud was going to vanish, and no trait of its existence would be left behind. Save for the damages that it had caused to the city, and to the broken spirits of the survivors.

The chopper continued to fly, as the puma was now looking for a safe place to land. From up there, he was able to catch a commotion in a road near a cliff, as many vehicles had stopped in there, and many mammals were out of them. Among the vehicles, the puma could see the van of Channel 8.

Soon, the helicopter was landing in the grass near the road, calling the attention of many, including the news crew. As soon as Henry and the antelope set foot out of the chopper, they were surrounded by members of their crew, who kept asking them if they were fine. Henry felt a bit overwhelmed, especially when Gilda came to him and pulled the German shepherd into a very tight hug.

Gilda was not the kind who gave hugs. So Henry knew that this whole experience had affected her deeply. The fact that she was hugging him strong enough to make him worry about his spine was proof of that.

After the hug was over, Gilda had gone to answer her phone, as someone was calling her back from the office. Probably the boss. Henry was left to walk back to the crew, and he could see just how heavy everything was. His camera mammal was behind the van, emptying his stomach, as he finally was able to take in all that had happened. The puma was looking very edgy, and he seemed ready to run back to the chopper and make it fly until the next city.

The rest of the crew was not much better, as they all looked gloomy, and Henry could not blame them. He was positive himself, but even he could not think of anything to say that could possibly put a good spin on what had just happened. He could not understand what had happened, but he knew that it was something that should not, not in a million years, have ever happened. He just knew it.

The sound of an angry voice broke him out of his trance:

"Are you freaking serious!?" Gilda's voice came, and Henry turned to look at the bear, as she was talking to her phone. "We almost died out there!" She said angrily, and she was pacing back and forth as she talked into the phone, and the one on the other side talked back to her.

There was a discussion, or so it seemed, as Gilda heard what the person on the other side said, and after a while, she finally sighed, seemingly in resignation, and she turned off.

Gilda walked back to the crew, a somber expression on her face, as she stood and looked at them. She sighed, and she said:

"Devin…" She spoke, looking to the tiger who had been comforting Jasmine. "Please, go get one of the backup cameras ready." The tiger hesitated for a moment, but he nodded and went inside the van. The bear turned to the dog, who looked back at her with his hazelnut-colored eyes. "Henry, the boss wants us to give special coverage of the aftermath of this. You will be on air in a few…"

Henry looked at her. He was not the kind to refuse a job. Especially if it was a chance to be on live. However, after everything that had just happened…

"Gilda… I… I think I can't…"

The bear turned to look at him, and she walked in his direction with slow but sure steps. Henry was just around five feet tall, and so, Gilda knelt in front of him to be on his eye level.

"People are scared." She spoke to him. "They need to know what is going on. They need to know that some survived. They need to see what is happening." Her tone didn't truly have emotion, but it was steady and calming in its own way. "We need to let people know. That is our job."

Henry looked back at her and seeing her expression really made him quite troubled. He saw that she was dead serious as she spoke that, and the fact that she was being so nice instead of telling him to "suck it up and do it!" was enough to convince him that she was really shaken.

"I-I know, Gilda." The black and brown-furred dog said. "But… I just came back from the center and… That was… It was too much for me… I need a break…" He said, looking down before he looked up: "Can't Frank do it?"

Her expression changed nearly immediately, even though it was very subtle. She looked away, and for a moment Henry could swear that he had seen a tear rolling down her cheek. All of sudden, Henry noticed that the mood around seemed to have shifted just with these words. Some of the crew were not looking at the ground, and Jasmine now was sobbing.

Henry blinked, as he looked at each one of the members of the crew, seeing how their mood had changed just after that simple suggestion. It took him a few seconds, but he finally noticed just what was amiss in the scene.

"W-wait…" Henry said, looking back at Gilda.

"…where is Frank?"

* * *

Nick had to hold Judy back. He had to hold her to prevent her from bursting through the door, getting into their car and driving all the way to Fangtropolis.

"Nick, let me go!" The bunny said as she tried to get free from the fox's grip, but Nick continued to hold her.

"Carrots, calm down."

"Let me go!" She said, "I gotta go help!"

"How?" Nick asked her, making her look into his eyes as she spoke to her. "By driving a hundred miles to another city, so you can just stay in there and watch as that thing rains in the city? Or to jump into the city only for that thing to swallow you up as well?"

There was silence, broke only by the heavy breathing of the bunny, and by the static of the TV, that had gone off air in the moment of that strange explosion, leaving the fate of the mammals in the helicopter an incognita to who was watching.

"I… I'll think of something when I get there!" She said, renewing her struggles. But Nick held onto her. "I have to go, Nick! I'm a cop! These mammals need help! I need to go and help-"

"Judy, you can't help them!" Nick said, so firmly that it made Judy flinch. She looked up to him, as he took deep breaths. His face was a mask that she was so familiar with. However, she could see past this mask. The strained tone on his voice. The curling on the corners of his muzzle. The way his hands trembled slightly as his claws were coming out.

"You can't help them…" Nick said again, and this time, he was looking down. "None of us can help them…" The way his voice strained, the way his shoulders were shaking…

Judy was able to get out of her own despair as she saw Nick like that. She looked at him, and she said softly:

"Nick…"

"We can't help them…" Nick said once more, his voice more strained.

"Nick… please, calm down…" Judy said, and Nick raised his face, to look right at her.

Not a word was exchanged. They both only stared at each other's eyes for a while. Judy's cheeks were still wet because of the tears. She got closer, and she hugged him. She once more began to cry silently, and Nick did the only thing he could think of: he hugged her as tight as he could and dared.

There was nothing more than the sound of the static of the TV and of Judy's silent crying. Until…

"_Here is Nolan McGrowl, from Channel 8, with breaking news!"_

The sound of TV went mostly unnoticed, as both mammals only continued to hug each other.

"_Not too long ago, in the city of Fangtropolis, where the fifth Pred-Pride Show was going to happen, there was an unprecedented event that resulted in the destruction of the city. We are trying to obtain more news on the subject, and meanwhile, we will pass by our crew that is in place. Here is McGrowl from the studio, what is happening there?_"

* * *

The image changed to a German shepherd of black fur and with a brown muzzle and neck. His ears were somewhat droopy, and he had a strained look on his face, but it was hidden behind a professional and objective façade.

"_Studio, this is Henry Dogbert, covering the aftermath of… whatever it was that happened."_ The dog said. "_As you can see behind me, most of the city of Fangtropolis has been destroyed-_" Behind the dog, the ruins of what once was a proud city. As he spoke, another of the buildings came crashing down, causing a sound that the camera captured. This caused the dog to flinch, but he held his composure. "_By an event that started roughly at midnight"_

The two mammals in that room continued to watch, both of them more quiet than it was normal to them.

Bucky and Pronk now sat on the same chair, both snuggling closer to each other, with upset expressions on their faces, as they held hooves. None of them said a word as they just snuggled and looked at the TV.

* * *

Benjamin had been anxious to get home and turn on the TV when he got off the work. The prospect of being able to see Gazelle perform in the Pred-Pride Show was something amazing to him, so he was more than happy to get ready for it.

He got home, got off his uniform, took a quick bath and changed into some very comfortable clothes, including an "I Love Gazelle" T-shirt.

Soon he was sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn and a can of soda nearby, happy and giddy.

However, it all changed when the tragedy started to happen.

Benjamin could hardly believe his eyes. That destruction. That horror. It could not be. It just could not be.

"_The events that caused this…"_ Dogbert continued to narrate, but there was a pause, as he started to try to think of the right words to speak. "_I… I guess that there is no better way of describing it… they were not natural…_"

As the dog said these words, images flashed through Ben's eyes.

_Bloodied paws._

_A twisted grin in a cheetah's face._

_Someone holding his paw._

_A whole car flipped._

_A motionless body in front of him._

Ben let out an upset squeal as he bent over, grabbing his own head with both paws. His breath was fast and hitched. His pupils were shrinking, as his heartbeat got faster and faster.

As he was about to slip, he felt something land softly on his shoulder.

Blinking, the cheetah looked up, to see two pairs of glowing red eyes looking at him.

* * *

"_The city has been nearly completely destroyed."_ Dogbert continued to narrate the events. "_It… it is hard to estimate the number of victims that were made by this event. But it is safe to assume that there were many loses… we… we have lost a member of our crew… Frank Howlen has… vanished during the events… may his soul find peace…"_

"I know! I'm seeing it!" Bogo said as he paced back and forth while talking on his cellphone, passing right in front of the small television on his desk. "I was watching, okay!? I know how bad it was!" Bogo said as he hung up on his cellphone, and the phone on his desk was ringing. A second later, his cellphone started to ring again.

More and more mammals were calling him to talk about had happened in Fangtropolis. Bogo was being overloaded with calls, and he tried to deal with all of them as he tries to understand what had happened.

* * *

"_Whatever was the event that caused this destruction, seems to have ended. However, the damage that was made has remained."_ Dogbert continued, as a vixen looked at the television.

She was probably around her late forties or early fifties, but she still looked healthy. She had the fur of her body a soft shade of russet, with black on her ears and white on her under the muzzle and down her neck. She was wearing just nightclothes of soft pink as she was watching the news, one paw on her chest while the other was clutching the side of her body.

"_The hole in the air, from which the black mud originated, has closed."_ Dogbert said, he gave a pause, and then he said, "_Yes, you all heard it right. I said it once, and I'm saying it again: what happened here tonight was **not** a natural event. It was… it was supernatural… Some of you might think I'm crazy for seeing this, but this is what I think, and no one will change my mind._"

As the dog spoke, Sophie Wilde tensed into the chair as he looked at the TV. The paw on her side clutched her body tighter, as if that part of her body was in pain…

* * *

There were a lot of things that the Hopps family liked. Among them, there was the fact that they loved music. Some of them even had their own bands. Of course, they were not going to miss a performance of music on a Saturday night.

The cheerful bunch of bunnies had reunited in front of their giant screen TV in their living room, looking forward to a great concert.

Of course, none of them could predict that what was supposed to be a night of fun and music would turn into one of tragedy and horror.

Kids were crying as they were guided back to their rooms by adults, and even the most cheerful of the bunch was now looking somber as they saw the aftermath being transmitted on TV.

"_There are no words to describe how big of a tragedy this is."_ Dogbert continued to the camera, as his voice was transmitted to a giggle fo bunnies who looked at the television, many of them still trying to even understand what had happened.

There was a long moment of silence, as the dog pondered on the next words that he was going to say.

" _I… I was never a religious dog… but… may the gods help us_." He spoke, sounding very serious as he spoke that. "_To help us get through this, and to move on with our lives… Fritz, Fenrir, Minos… whatever gods that there are out there… help us get through this **darkest hour**… Back to you, studio…"_

Many bunnies were talking among themselves, some of them were crying, some of them only looked somber, and some of them were guzzling down cans of booze as they tried to get wasted.

Among them, Stu was sitting on the couch. He was left speechless, his lips quivering as he watched that.

"Ohh, sweet cheese and crackers…" Stu said, his lip quivering more. "Bonnie, do you believe…" Stu started to say as he turned around to Bonnie, who was sitting by his side, only to find out that the seat was empty.

"Bonnie?"

Bonnie was in another part of the house, and she was picking up the phone.

She dialed, and placed the phone close to her ear, as she heard the sound that signaled that it was calling.

"Pick up. Pick up. Pick up." She said, as she waited for someone on the other side to answer, and as soon, as they did, she said:

"I want to talk to Antonius."

There was a pause, and she said: "This is Bonnie"

…

"Bonnie Hopps."

…

"Oh, just quit it! You know very well who I am!"

…

Bonnie's ears perked, and then they fell flat, as she took a hand to her face, frowning, and she let out a groan.

"Yes… it is _Helga_." She said in a whisper, looking over her shoulder to know that no one was listening. "Now pass me to Tony. I gotta speak to him…" Bonnie spoke. Any of her children, grandchildren, or her own husband, who came across her now and took a look at her face, would see her more serious than they had ever seen in their lives…


	4. After the Storm

One of the most meaningful traits toward mammals in general, no matter the species, is their capacity to overcome adversities and to grow after experiencing events both good and bad. This trait that shows all mammals can adapt in the same way, and it was something that allowed them to evolve from their previous savage state to the state of sentience that they had in the present days.

Some things took time to be overcome, as they were the kind of trauma that clung onto you, and it was the thing that would follow you for a time, sometimes forever. Others were the kind of annoyance that you were just able to shrug off and continue to move on as if it was nothing.

What had happened into Fangtropolis was not the kind of thing that you can just shrug off.

The destruction of a whole city is not the kind of thing that you can just ignore and continue to live on with.

The deaths of so many are not the kind of thing that can be ignored just like that, unless you have a hole where your soul was supposed to be.

Fangtropolis was one of the most famous cities in the country. It was the home for a population of mammals of over eight million, and it was all destroyed in a single night, resulting in the deaths of many creatures, both prey and predator. Well, they are dead, it's just going be hard to actually identify the bodies to know for sure…

Many had managed to escape by leaving the city, however, many more had not been so lucky. As a result, the loss of lives was estimated in the house of millions.

The following morning had been a hard one.

Teams had arrived in the place, coming from all sides. Some came from nearby cities, and others had arrived from more distant locations.

There were reporter teams, wanting to cover the aftermath of the destruction of the city.

There were firefighters and disaster squads, all of them dealing with the damages left behind. As well as medical teams, who had come to deal with anyone that was needing medical support, be them the ones who escaped, or the ones who had somehow, miraculously managed to survive that destruction.

There was also the army. They had come in there without warning and without being announced, as they wanted to investigate this event and see if they could find an answer to what could have caused it. As it seemed, they could fear it had been some kind of attack or a new natural disaster of some kind.

Many had arrived in the city, and all that they saw was destruction.

However, this did not stop them, as all of them were ready to work.

The following morning and afternoon were the beginning of the search for survivors.

Some were hesitant into walking into the city due to what they had seen and heard, however, they discovered that the black mud that had caused that destruction was long gone.

By walking into the city, they saw many burnt buildings and some partially melted, as the mud had left behind a great deal of destruction. Some of the structures were still fragile, with some of the buildings threatening to collapse. This forced the teams to be very careful as they continued to look for any possible survivors among that tragedy.

The most terrifying, however, what was had become of what seemed to be the mammals caught by the mud.

All over the street, it was possible to see blackened forms that resembled mammals. Some of them looked quite convincing, while others only resembled mammals vaguely. They were across the street as if they were statues, in many different positions. In a corner, there was a blackened form that looked like a feline, curled over herself, almost like a kitten, as if she was shielding herself from something. In another corner, there was what seemed to be something that was nearly a skeleton, with a position as if it had been fighting to get free of something, an arm raise and outstretch as if to reach for something, while the maw was open in what seemed like a mute scream.

These scenes were all over the city. This made the search parties unsure if they would actually find someone who had actually managed to survive something like this. Still, they had a job to do, and they intended to do it. So, they searched.

It took them hours, but they finally found the first of the survivors:

It was a young tigress. She was hidden inside an old fridge in the remnants of what once was her house, curled over herself as she hugged a stuffed toy. Somehow, the mud had not managed to reach her. She was tired and trembling, and she was asking for her mommy.

She was the first of the survivors found in the wreckage. Some had managed to escape the destruction and the mud. Some of them had found shelter into the buildings that had not collapsed and that had remained after the destruction was gone. Some of them had gotten in the ceiling of the houses, barely avoiding the destruction. Some of them had somehow managed to remain out of the reach of the mud somehow, and they were able to survive that ordeal against all odds.

Some of them even had barely survived, as they had gained marks and scars that would remind them of that horror for the rest of their lives.

Some of them had been buried under the debris of fallen buildings, but they had still somehow managed to survive, as if by a miracle, to that horror that had befallen to that city and the disaster of a building falling over them. These were considered to be the luckiest ones, even though this definition could surely be up to debate.

Each one of these impossible survivors that were found on the remains of the destroyed city encouraged the teams to continue to search. For the rest of the day.

For the second day.

For the third day.

Non-stopping searches continued, and they found forty-eight survivors.

Forty-eight souls that had escaped that hell.

Forty-eight souls that were still alive in spite of all the odds.

Forty-eight souls, of the nearly eight millions of mammals that had lived in that city.

Forty-eight souls that were found in the three days of restless searches.

* * *

_Somewhere in England._

The doors of the room were closed. The room was made to be soundproof, both to avoid something would bother the ones inside from the outside, and to avoid what was said inside to be listened to by unwanted parties. However, even so, if someone passed by the door, they could make out the sounds of shouts coming from the inside.

"This is unacceptable!" Said a small mammal with a surprisingly powerful voice, as he slammed his fist into the round table where they were gathering. Some of the other mammals there jumped slightly, as the little mammal fumed in anger. He was a fennec fox, with fur of the color of sand and big ears, as it was common for his species. He had signs of age, as it was possible to see in streaks of silver fur on the sides of his head and on the wrinkles on his face, which got worse with the frown that he had on from his outrage. He wore a white suit on his body with a purple tie around his neck. He could not be bigger than three feet tall, still, he had an imposing voice that would cause anyone to respect him, and the expression of barely contained fury on his face did a lot to increase the power of his presence.

"In the middle of a city!" He shouted again, "With millions of victims! Transmitted on live television!" He said, looking around each one of the mammals that were into the table, predator and prey alike. "How did this happen?! Someone explain to me!"

No one said a word for a while, and the fennec fox than turned to another mammal who was sitting around the table:

"You!" He said as he pointed to a corner of the table, to a wolf who was sitting across the table. This wolf had brown colored fur over his body, with a cream coloration on his under muzzle, and surely going down his chest. His body was tone and muscled, it was the body of someone who was no stranger to the gym, and the fact that he was nearly seven feet tall when he was standing did help in his imposing figure. He also had a mean-looking scar on the side of his face, looking like it had been made by someone with really big claws, which helped to pass the image of a hardcore mammal. He was dressed less elegantly than the fennec, as he wore simple clothing, a forest green shirt and a pair of camouflage pants. His eyes were of a deep crimson color, and they looked back at the fennec as he pointed a finger at him.

"You said you had sent one of your best to the area to offer extra supervision!" The fennec said accusingly. "To prevent things from running out of control!"

"I did." The wolf said to him in a deep voice, his arms crossed as he looked at the fennec. "Clawson has always been one of our best operatives. I personally assigned him for this task because he was the most qualified for it."

"Then how did this happen!?" The fennec demanded. "Was your 'best-qualified agent' an incompetent one!?"

The wolf's lips curled as if he was ready to snarl, and this was enough to reduce the fire of the fennec fox, but not by much.

"This is a disaster…" The fennec said in a depressed tone, resting his head in both hands. "A complete and utter disaster…"

"We can deal with it." Someone else said. The impala had a fur on her body that was white as snow, which brought out her pink snout and equally pink eyes. She was a slender figure, with a voluptuous breast area, kind of like the famous singer Gazelle. She was wearing a long and elegant white dress and jewelry of silver on her body, including some silvery chains in both of her horns, which were just as pink as her own eyes, something quite unusual, even for albinos, as she seemed to be. She looked at the others as she spoke. "We have dealt with other situations before, and we surely can deal with this."

"It is different this time, and you know it, Vanhorne." Another mammal said. He was a lynx with light brown fur. He had a mass of fur around his lower neck that was of white and black coloration, with black around the trim of his ears and with black stripes and spots on his body, and with white around his yellow eyes. He was probably 4'6'' feet tall when standing, and his fit form imposed respect, as well as the harsh expression on his face. He was wearing a red social shirt, with dark-grey pants and blazer over it. He had his arms crossed and was leaning on his chair.

"We never had quite a situation like that." He spoke in a hard tone.

"We already had occasions in which there were witnesses who couldn't be taken care of." The impala, Vanhorne, spoke. "We were able to discredit them and make the situation solve itself."

"We are not talking about a single witness that could be easily discredited and labeled as a lunatic." The lynx said his tone annoyed now "We are talking about an event that was transmitted to a whole country. Something that was shown to the world and that many saw with their own eyes. We never quite had a situation like that before."

"The understatement of the year." Said another mammal in a sarcastic manner, the one speaking was a goat. He had black fur on his body, with some white colored tuft of fur on the top of his head, kind of looking like hair, and he also had a pair of horns that grew backward, both yellow in coloration and looking quite imposing. His chin was decorated with a beard of white fur. He was wearing social clothes, black long-legged pants, a green shirt with a red tie, and on top of it, he was wearing a cloak of black and grey coloration, with a trinity-theme on its trimming. He had half-moon glasses in his face, allowing him to have a better vision with his eyes of a golden yellow. Though the clothing that he was wearing didn't let it show, he was actually quite fit, not being buff like the wolf, but not being scrawny, looking like a standard healthy goat. His hooved hands were in front of his face, showing the gloves he had, black and with golden detail, matching the anklets that he had around his ankles. "After all, it is not like we have ever had things captured on video and transmitted to the news with frequency. It would make quite hard to keep ourselves in the shadows if we did."

"Oh, shut it, Calves!" The fennec said angrily, glaring at the black goat, who merely looked undisposed back at him through his half-moon glasses.

"Many consider you one of the smartest members of the Council! So instead of wise-cracking, you could try to offer a solution!" The fennec accused. Calves, the goat, merely looked back at him for a few moments, before he said:

"Well, I did offer a solution before." He spoke in a calm tone. "Quite repeatedly, if I were to add."

The fennec rolled his eyes, and slumped into the chair, as the mammals in the table shared looks among themselves.

"I have been telling you for years that we should banish it for good." The goat said, "It has always been too dangerous. Too powerful. Too unpredictable. It was only a matter of time before something like that happened."

"It has been made for centuries." Another voice came, it was a horse. He stood tall in his chair, proudly in his fine black suit, with his dark-brown fur, black nose, beady hazelnut eyes, and with a mane that was considerably long. Matter of fact, his mane was so long that it had to be tied to prevent it from going all the way down to the ground, and even still, it went as far as the middle of his back. His body was also fit, but not like the wolf, revealing that he was someone who was used to being away from the action, he was a researcher and not a soldier. "I must admit that it has run out of control in certain situations, but it has always been in the reach of our management."

"Well, it was not this time." Calves said calmly. "Something went wary. More so than in the previous times."

"Can anyone say what it was?" Said the lynx in the grey blazer. The fennec was the one who reacted to this, pointing at the wolf with a green shirt.

"Mieczyslaw! Your agent was in there! Does he knows what happened!? Has he said anything!?"

The wolf merely looked back at him, and he sighed, with a somber expression.

"He has not reported back since the event." The wolf, Mieczyslaw, spoke to the table, and everyone looked at him in silence. "No one has been able to find him. He is already presumed missing."

"You could very well presume him dead by now." Calves said matter-of-factly. "As well as the other ones."

"Do you think they all died?" The horse asked.

"Did you had any news of them ever since the event?" The goat asked, looking at the wolf who shook his head.

"No." Mieczyslaw spoke. "We have been trying to track them ever since the event, but with no success."

"They are probably hiding!" The fennec said. "They know that they will have to answer for this! The cowards!"

"The ones who might still be alive, you mean." Calves said once more. "After all, it is not uncommon to have few survivors."

"We are still monitoring, but we cannot find anything." Mieczyslaw said once more. "For the past three days our agents in the USA have been following their tracks and keeping watch, they are even keeping track of their clans and other relatives, but they cannot find a trace of them. Is like they have vanished."

"Do you think they all died in that?" Vanhorne asked, and Calves sighed.

"Would it be a surprise? It destroyed a whole city and killed millions."

"And the whole world saw it!" The fennec cried out in dismay, "How do we fix it!?"

"We can't." Mieczyslaw said with his somber tone. "We cannot fix the lives that were lost and destroyed. No one can." He spoke, and the fennec groaned as he heard that.

"Yeah, it is sadly true." Another voice said in a light tone, and the eyes turned to another part of the table, there was a raccoon. He had fur of a very light grey coloration, with the traditional black area around his eyes like a mask, and with white around his muzzle. He had a smile on it, as the other members of the council were used to seeing, and his eyes were of a caramel coloration. He was quite thin for a raccoon and his slender body went through his suit, which did look like something an important business mammal would wear. He was wearing a suit as well, a black one with a blue shirt and a yellow tie. "We cannot change what already happened. However, we can remediate the situation in the position we are in now. I do believe that was what you were referring to, right, Mr. Sanders?"

Sanders, the fennec fox, glared at the raccoon, who had a smile on his face as he looked back at him with his caramel-colored eyes.

"Yes… and what are your suggestions, Maskell?"

"Misleading and misinformation, of course." The raccoon said in a cheery tone, "This is basically the base of all that we do, right?"

"The _only_ thing that _you_ do, you mean." The fennec said as if he was noting a fact. Many raccoons would take offense to what was just said, but Maskell seemed to actually consider it a compliment.

"Mammals tend to believe in nearly anything, as long as it is something that they want to hear. We just need to give them an explanation that will please them, and they might even let go of it."

"There is no way anyone can let go of that." Mieczyslaw said.

"True, but we can offer them an explanation that will prevent them from asking more questions." Maskell continued. "Just make them look into another direction to maintain them in their state of blissful ignorance."

"Have you seen the images of the event that were transmitted?" Calves asked and, as the goat expected, there was not an answer. "It was an explosion of red light that punched a hole in the air, which cascaded a black mud that set anything it touched on fire. It was transmitted live in national scale to all the USA, and in the past three days it has been the main topic of all news in the country, and is already gaining space in the international news." The goat said, looking at the raccoon as he spoke that. "Many questions are already being asked, some questions that even you will find hard to answer. If you manage to make them look away from this, I'll be impressed."

"We _have_ to remediate the situation!" Sanders said as he slammed a paw on the table again. "We have kept ourselves out of sight for centuries! We cannot allow everything to crumble down now! We need to make sure that we remain a secret!" The mammals in the table agreed with him, and the goat merely sighed.

"What if it's no longer possible?"

Like a catacomb that could devastate a whole country, that single question had an impact in every single mammal present. That single question carried all of their fears and worries in it. That single question made feelings of dread creep upon them, and filled them with worry about the answer for it.

"You should not be saying these things!" Sanders said in annoyance. "You should not even be _thinking_ these things, Calves!"

"I'm just asking a question that I know is in everyone's minds." The goat spoke, still sounding calm as he spoke. "As it was already spoken, this situation is different from all of the ones we had before. So, I guess we are all wondering if keeping a secret might even be possible by now."

"We will not admit defeat!" Sanders demanded, the volume of his voice surprising for someone that small. "We are the Council, and we cannot even consider this a possibility, and you, as a member of this council, should not be speaking such things!" The fennec said, pointing an accusing finger to the goat, who only looked back at him.

"We need to do our best now." Another voice came, and the eyes turned to another member of the gathering. Another wolf, this one bigger than Mieczyslaw, with a sleeveless shirt that allowed everyone to see his muscled arms, and loose pants, both in shades of blue. His body was bulky and toned, covered into the fur of a deep grey coloration, and his eyes were yellow like gold, and both had a serious but composed expression to them.

"We are the Council, and as so, we can do nothing more than to attain to our duties." The big wolf spoke, and Maskell spoke:

"Thank you, Mr. Lupine, for stating the obvious."

The other members of the table glared angrily at the raccoon, but he was unfazed, and so was Lupine, the wolf.

"Each one of us in here has achieved the position we have now due to our knowledge, our power, and our responsibility, and now, it is an occasion in which we must prove that we do deserve to be part of this council." He spoke, and right after that, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it!?" Sanders demanded, turning to the door, and after a few seconds, the door opened, to reveal the face of a reindeer with dark-brown fur and modest antlers decorating his head. His green eyes flicked in between the faces of the ones in the table, faces that looked intently back at him before he met the eyes of a certain mammal.

"Hmmm. P-Pr. Calves."

"Harvey." The goat said seriously as he looked at the younger mammal. "I told you to wait."

"I-I know, but is that… I-I was browsing on the internet…" He spoke, and these words granted many frowning looks from the other members of the council. "I found a thing."

"If it is another video of penguins it can wait." The goat said.

"No, it's not!" The reindeer said, and he approached. He was carrying a computer in his paws. The reindeer dressed in what seemed to be some kind of school uniform of crimson and white ran to the side of the black goat and started to talk with him in rushed whispers. This seemed to get the goat's attention as he started to discuss with the reindeer.

Sanders rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself.

"How did _he_ even became a member of this Council…"

"You know Calves, you give your students way too much freedom." The horse with the very long mane spoke but Calves paid him little mind.

"As I was saying." Lupine said, "Each one of us is a member of the prestige of our community, not only in this country, but worldwide." He spoke to each member of the council present, even Calves, who seemed now to be looking at the computer and seeing what the reindeer had to show him. "Each one of us is an individual of power and respect, and we have many times showed that we are the fittest to make the best decisions. Now, it is no different."

He looked at each one of them. "Yes, this situation is different from all the ones we ever had, yes, it is going to be a difficult time, and yes, we all are going to face our greatest worries and problems with the coming days. However, as members of this council, we are to push through the difficulties and to prove our value. This council now must act." He said, punctuating his word by tapping his claw in the table, and there was a collective mumble of agreement from the rest of the table.

"This council must act with precision, efficiency, and good sense. Most of all, we must act with unity towards our goal and with determination, if we are to have any chance to remediate this. It might be a great challenge, but we need to keep our focus on the task ahead of us." Lupine said, and the table all agreed with him, meanwhile, Calves was just looking at the computer still.

"Now, Maskell." Lupine turned to the raccoon. "I do believe you did had some ideas on how to proceed-"

"Oh my…" Calves said, interrupting the wolf as the eyes now turned to him. He was looking at the screen of the electronic device, a hand over his chin as he had a concerned expression on his face. He looked up from the screen, looking at the mammals all gathered in that table, all of which had now their eyes on him.

"We might have yet another problem…"

The ones gathered were looking at him, some of them with raised eyebrows, and in seeing their reactions, the goat turned the computer around so they could see the screen and pressed play.

The members looked at the image that was playing before them, and soon, their confused expressions turned into expressions of surprise, shock, even of horror.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Sanders screamed on top of his lungs before his head smacked into the table in defeat. Meanwhile, the rest of the council was in an uproar.

* * *

The time you take to recover from something depends on how bad that something was. If it was a fight with a friend, it might take only a few hours or a few days. If it was a death in the family, it could surely take days, and you would never quite get over it.

If it was the terrible destruction of a whole city and the death of its whole population, well, it surely it would take a while. Some mammals thought it was stupid to cry over other mammals that you barely knew. Judy Hopps was not among these. She had cried in the night she witnessed that destruction. She spends the night hugging Nick, and in the next morning, she barely felt like getting up from bed for all the morning and the beginning of the afternoon.

And now, nearly three days later…

"…_And the searches for survivors continue in the remains of what once was Fangtropolis_." A female voice came from the television. "_Up until now four dozens of survivors were found among the destruction. Searches are continuing as we speak, and some of the teams-_"

Judy rose her hand and pressed the remote's button, changing the channel.

_"-Specialists are still trying to come with an explanation of the event that resulted in the destruction of Fangtropolis."_ A male voice came. "_Both the army and the government have, up until now, remained in silence over the rumors of a new kind of weapon-_"

Changing channel.

_"-It is just crazy, you know?" A male voice came from the television, and continued: "We were supposed to be in the town that night… My family and I…_ _I was to have a meeting, but I canceled it in the last moment to have a spontaneous vacation with my wife and our kittens… We left before sunset. We were still on the road when that happened. The kittens had fallen asleep when I heard the news through the radio. I could barely believe it… I-if I had not canceled my meeting and decide to go for this vacation... It could have been us… It could have been me and my family among the victims… I… Oh, God…"_

With a grunt, the bunny rose her hand and clicked another button, this time she turned the television off. She was sitting on her desk, the small television on her cubicle just turned off as she looked at the thing she had improvised for herself.

It was a blackboard that she often used to have notes and to write down important things that she had to remember and to put some of her pictures from family and friends. However, she had turned it into a small "research center" concerning the disaster of Fangtropolis, what was being called by some as "Darkest Hour".

There were a lot of notes and hypothesis drew in it, some of it crossed, some connected to other notes and hypothesis and even to pictures and even random words. Judy had started to work in there on her first day back work after their off Sunday. She had been designed to do desk duty, along with Nick, and she had used that time to try to make sense of all that had happened. In less than one hour, she had a mural ready, and she had been working on it in every free time she got, doing researches online, printing images and news reports from online, and adding them to the mural.

She was intending to repeat the process in that day, as she had once more been assigned to desk duty. She was just looking in her computer, looking in the news websites to see if she could find anything new.

Judy was focused on the screen, but her ear twitched as she could hear someone approaching.

"Hey, there, officer Carrots." Came the familiar voice of a fox. Judy only gave a quick "hi, Nick" as she did not move her eyes away from the computer. There was a brief silence as the fox approached, and placed a box in the desk. However, Judy seemed not to have even noticed.

"Really, Carrots?" Nick said, "Not even a look in the eyes? And after the work, I had to find a donut store that sold sweet carrot-flavored donuts…"

Judy rolled her eyes but continued focused on the screen. "Thanks for that. I'll eat it later during my break." She spoke, as she screened over another news website, seeing a new article that was just posted about "The Darkest Hour".

"Carrots… Carrots! Judy." Nick said, and this was enough to make her stop a moment, for it was rare for Nick to call her by her first name. Also, the fact that he had placed a paw on her arm helped to get her attention.

She took her eyes off the computer and looked at Nick. He was once more on his police uniform, and he had an expression on his face as Judy looked at him. It was quite rare to see anything break to his cynic façade. However, ever since the event of three nights ago, it seemed that the façade had shattered, and Nick had been trying to rebuild it. It was clear that the smug smile was not what it was before that night, still, Nick seemed to be recovering with time. Still, it was possible to see past the mask that he once wore easier now, and Judy could see the genuine worry as he looked at her.

"Judy, I think that you are focusing way too much on the Fangtropolis thing." He said genuinely. "I think that Chief Buffalo-Butt's idea of giving us both desk duties was to try and take our heads off this subject for a while."

Judy looked back at him serious, as she spoke:

"I can't just let it go Nick." She had that familiar intensity in her eyes as she spoke that. "I just can't…"

"I know." Nick said. "But you need to take your mind off it for a little bit." The fox said, holding her by the shoulders. "You need to focus on, I don't know, making the reports about the antelope that was caught shoplifting last week. Or maybe about checking the traffic cameras to see if you can catch someone going through a red light. Because this-" Nick gestured at her "disaster mural" in which she worked at every chance she got "-is surely not good for you."

Judy looked down, and she was thinking of a reply to this when another voice came.

"It sure isn't."

Both mammals looked up to see the bigger mammal in there. Chief Bogo looked down on the two mammals, his usual expression as he looked at the two mammals, who seemed surprised for seeing him.

_"I heard Nick's footsteps, but I could not hear his hooves… how can someone so big be so silent?"_ Judy thought as she looked at her boss.

"Hopps, I remember clearly telling you to focus on the work here at the station." The buffalo said, and he gave a glance at the mural that the bunny had made. "That does not look like the work in the station."

Judy needed a few moments to recover, but she did, and she said. "I was just… collecting facts, sir. Just a regular investigation."

"Except that, I didn't assign you to do this." Bogo said seriously as he looked down on the bunny. "Neither could I, because this is no jurisdiction of the ZPD. This is the jurisdiction of the national agencies, like the ZIA and the FBI. They are the ones who are investigating this thing."

"But sir-"

"AND-" Bogo said, cutting the bunny off, "-if you are really investigating it on your own, unauthorized, and without a warrant of the ones with the jurisdiction, you are breaking a lot of rules. And that is something that none of us expects from Officer Judy Hopps."

Judy didn't have an answer to that. Yes, she knew that it was not her jurisdiction and that she should not be "investigating" it. She even found out one or to excuses for that, like saying that she was doing it as part of personal research on the subject, so maybe she could at some time tip the ones investigating about the subject. However, under the hard gaze of the buffalo, the excuses she had come up with were lost within seconds.

There was a long moment of silence before the buffalo sighed, and he said:

"I know that it affected you." He spoke. "Affected everyone, believe me. I spent the rest of that night receiving calls from nearly everyone. The mayor. The mammals in the city hall. Some other chiefs from other precincts. Mammals who had watched that and wanted to know what it was and for me to do something about that…"

There was another brief silence, and Bogo continued:

"There is nothing we can do now." He spoke, sounding somber. "Nothing we can do about the subject. That is a sad truth. It is a national matter, and as so, it is the jurisdiction of the national agencies. We have to accept it, even though we might really want to do something about the matter."

Judy noticed the look on his eyes, and she knew: the Chief also wanted to do something about the matter, but his paws were tied by the rules. That was something that sometimes happens in the police work, the very same rules that they upheld and followed sometimes prevented them from acting. This was the case with jurisdictions, and they could not just go over the rules to assume the case as their own as they showed in the tv series. That was just not the way things went.

After a few moments, the bunny asked:

"What can we do then?"

"Our job." Was Bogo's simple answer. "We focus on the now. We do what we can. We solve what is within our reach." He looked at the two officers. "That is the job of police officers. It is all that we can do."

There was a small silence as Judy and Nick both acknowledged these words. A silence that was broken when the chief once more spoke:

"A job, that you two need to do."

"Okie Dokie." Nick said with a salute, as he was turning around to go back to his own desk, while Judy was about to go back working on hers' when the buffalo added.

"You both are going in the streets."

This made both mammals stop and look back at the much bigger mammal.

"Excuse me?" Judy asked, "Sir, I thought we both had been assigned to be on desk duty today."

"You were." Bogo said, "But we just received information about a public disturbance downtown. All the other officers have already been dispatched to their own assignments, and we don't have anyone available to check on this. So, I'm putting you two to take care of this."

The bunny and fox shared a look.

"It is basically a simple call of a mammal who claims that some guys are creating a ruckus on the street. Nothing serious, you just go in there to check and to apprehend anyone who is actually causing trouble. It is routine. Just pass by Clawhauser and he will give you the exact address."

The buffalo didn't even wait for their answer, as he just turned around and walked away. The two mammals stayed behind, and within the silence, Nick said:

"Well, it looks like we do have a job, right?" He said, making the bunny look at him. He smiled at her and asked:

"Ready to make the world a better place?"

Judy looked at him, seeing how Nick was now using her own motto on her, and she couldn't help but smile.

The duo was soon passing by Clawhauser, who was silently munching on some donuts. In the past days, the cheetah had not been as giddy and bubbly as he usually was. Many attributed it to the fact that he was one of the mammals who had watched the event unfold live by television, and that the cheetah was always sensitive about things. He had gotten impressed by the images that he saw, and more than once, Judy could swear that she saw him crying at a corner. Everyone tried to cheer him up the best they could, and they managed to improve his mood slightly. Still, it was clear that what happened had a great impact on him.

He gave them the address downtown, and after Nick made a little joke to cheer up the cheetah, which granted a small smile, the double was going into their cruiser and driving in direction to the place.

As she drove, Judy thought that maybe it was a good way of taking her mind off the subject for a while. Maybe it would be good for her, even because, focusing on that single subject for a very long time could not be healthy for her. As she looked back at her partner, who was wearing his shades once more and smiling his usual smirk at her, she sighed and drove to their next assignment.

* * *

The drive was of nearly fifteen minutes, and soon, the duo was parking into a corner near the street, and as soon as they did, a mammal came very quickly to meet them.

It was a female armadillo. She had a grayish-brown coloration on her body and on the shell on her back. She wore a red blouse and a white long skirt on her, which, like all armadillos, was beneath her shell. The part that connected the shell of their backs was only in the middle of the back, leaving the rest of it as space through which the fabric could slide to be fit within the form. Nick knew this now, but when he was younger, he actually thought that the armadillos could remove their shells to be able to wear clothes. This armadillo was just a little bit shorter than Nick, and she came to them with a serious expression on her face.

"Are you the cops? Good, because I was wondering how long would you take to arrive-" She started, but stopped in her tracks when she looked at Nick. She had a raised eyebrow as she looked at him up and down. The expression on her face was one that Nick was familiar with, and he just kept his smirk on his face as he lowered his shades and looked at her, giving a wink.

The armadillo looked at him with outrage, and she seemed ready to say something when Judy cut in.

"I'm sorry, are you the one who called about a case of order disturbance?"

"Yes, it was me!" The armadillo said. "There are some low lives that are causing a ruckus on the street. I want you to arrest them."

"Some low lives, you say?" Nick said, "What exactly are they doing?"

"They are making a lot of noise and making a fuss!" The armadillo said, deliberating not looking at Nick, and talking only to Judy. "Also, two of them have taken off their shirts! In the middle of the street! How indecent..."

"So, they are disturbing order and also being indecent?" Judy asked. "Where are they, exactly?"

"Right this way. Come with me! And get your guns, they are troublesome!" She said, gesturing for them to follow, and the two mammals shared a look before they followed the armadillo lady.

Nick already had an impression in that armadillo lady, and she seemed like the kind of lady that didn't like free expression and diversity, and it wasn't just because of the way that she treated him, even though this did speak a few things about her.

As they followed her, soon they were spotting what seemed to be an agglomeration of mammals.

"Is that all of them?" Judy asked. "Because if it is, we might need back up."

"Nah, these are just curious." The armadillo said, sounding quite annoyed. "They have all stopped to watch these three clowns."

As they approached, the group of mammals in front of them had a small uproar, of what actually sounded somewhat like applauses and "woos". They also could hear some music coming from there as if someone was actually playing in there.

"Would the 'lowlifes' by any chance be a band?" Nick said as the sound became clearer as they came closer. "Because they are actually quite good."

The armadillo once more ignored him completely, and she continued to guide them in direction to the crowd.

"Excuse me. Move over. Mover over. I have cops with me!"

The armadillo was guiding them through that crowd. Many of the mammals were bigger than her, and while it was easy to pass through the legs of the much taller ones, they had to make a little effort to pass by some of the other mammals, but they were quick to open space when they saw that Nick and Judy both had police uniforms.

"There are they!" The armadillo lady said once they moved past the crowd, and now where t what seemed to be the center of the gathering. She was pointing forward, and looking over, Nick and Judy looked at the "lowlifes" that the lady was talking about. Three of them, to be precise, and all of them looked to be quite hard to miss.

The first one, the one who called the most attention, was a horse. He was a tall figure, standing on nearly seven feet tall, and with a toned physique, and it was possible to see what became the horse was shirtless. The fur on his body was of a milky chocolate-brown coloration, hands which had hooved fingers, and his head had a mane of black fur, and his forehead had a white marking that looked like a star. He was wearing a pair of jeans pants, with symbols in the legs that looked like the suits of cards. A black tissue belt held the pants to his body, but the pants were a little down, which allowed seeing glimpses of his colorful underwear. The fact that the horse was partially naked would make him quite worthy of attraction. However, what made him stand out was the fact that he was breakdancing like a pro. The horse moved in the rhythm of the music that was playing, swinging his legs and arms around in the rhythm, moving his body with skill and style. And he was not doing just some foot-in-foot-out thing, he was doing complex moves, which included backflips and handstands, with his hooves leaving the ground and then coming back down to tap hard in the concrete of the sidewalk. All the while, the horse had a smile on his face, and he would occasionally wink and point at the crowd, moments in which the crowd would have to applaud in admiration.

In the background, there was another mammal, which was the source of the music. It was a buff wolf, standing 6'2'' feet tall, and with a physique that would be fit for someone who went to the gym every day. He too was without a shirt, and it was possible to see his muscles, as well as the golden piercings that he had on his nipples. The wolf had black fur on his body, with a grey shade on his chest and down his stomach. On his head, there was a mix of shades, as the fur on the top of his head and down on his neck and back there was a mix of violet and blue, undoubtedly the result of dye. It was also possible to notice that the wolf had the same vibrant shades polishing his claws, both on his hands and on his feet. He was wearing a pair of khaki pants that were worm out and thorn. He was holding an electric guitar that was of the same shades of violet and blue of his dyed fur, and he was playing it as the horse continued to dance. The wolf threw and shook his head like a rock star as he played the guitar with skill.

The guitar made a sound as it was connected to the sound equipment of another mammal. This one was also a canine, but not a wolf. It was some kind of dog. It was hard to identify which specific breed, but he was shorter than the wolf, standing in good 4'9'' feet tall, with clothing that made it seem that he had just come out of a rave. He was wearing some bright neon-purple jacket on his body, with black gloves on his paws and a pair of black pants that had lines in them of the same shade of neon purple. The more striking about the wolf was that the fur that was visible on his head was blue, it probably was also dye, and it contracted with the white on his muzzle and down his jawline and neck. The wolf was using some portable mixer, which surely he was using to work the sound of the guitar of the wolf. The dog also had a smile on his face, and he was slightly bobbing his head in the rhythm of the tune of rock that the wolf was playing.

"Has the circus arrived?" Nick asked as he looked at the three mammals who seemed to be putting their own show in the streets. Judy had a raised eyebrow as she looked at this, and the armadillo lady seemed as if she just had enough.

"So, aren't you going to arrest them?" She asked, gesturing at the three mammals, who continued to play, mix, and dance in the streets, granting some reactions from the crowd that had gathered to watch them.

"For… what, exactly?" Nick asked.

"You are cops, and your job is to arrest them!" Was the armadillo's answer, and she once more seemed to be deliberating ignoring Nick. Judy gave her a glare for her tone and for her actions towards her partner, but she sighed.

"Come, Nick." The bunny said. "Let's have a talk with these mammals." Soon Nick was following the bunny, and as they came closer, the music became more intense, as the horse answered by dancing more frenetically, looking like he was performing in a dancing contest.

"Excuse me." Judy said, but the horse continued to dance as if he had not heard her, as he started to make backflips, his hooves clopping on the floor each time he returned to it.

"_Man, he is good._" Was Nick's thought. Judy didn't liked being ignored.

"Excuse me! Sir!" The bunny said, louder, so her voice would be above the sound of the guitar. The horse landed on the ground in a dramatic pose. He looked over at the bunny and fox, with a smile on his face.

"Something wrong, officers?" He asked, right before he got back up and continued to dance.

"Nothing much." Nick said, as the horse was still dancing break, "Only someone seems to be bothered by you doing this. Not me, of course. You are a pretty good dancer."

"Thank you." The horse said, as he was now making a few complex moves that involved handstands, so his head was on the same level as the two shorter mammals. "I have been practicing. My father always said it was useless, and he said that investing my time on that was a waste and that it was a disgrace. So, no wonder I focused so much of my attention on it."

"Sir, may I ask you where is your shirt?" Judy asked.

"Right there, next to Butch's." The horse said.

"And Butch is…"

"The wolf with the guitar." The horse said. "The one in the mixer is Evan, and my name is Percy." The horse said, and he once more was back on his hooves, and he was dancing rhythmically as the wolf howled as he made a long solo with the guitar. Some wolves in the crowd actually howled back.

Nick rolled his eyes. "_Why do they always howl?_"

"And… why have you took your shirts off?"

"I did it because it was easier for me to dance." The horse said, "Butch… I don't know, maybe because he wanted to show his new nipple piercings. It is not illegal, as far as I know."

"You are right." Nick said, "But the lady in there don't really like that you guys are shirtless."

The horse looked at Nick and followed his gesture to the armadillo lady that was looking at them as if they were criminals. The horse snorted, as he made a backflip and landed on his hooves once more. He put his tongue out, looking right at the woman, making a heart with his hands, and winking at her. She looked outraged by this.

Nick chuckled at this. The horse had personality, that much he could say.

The horse then stopped and turned to the two canines. "Okay, guys! We are done here!"

"What? Seriously?" The wolf said, stopping and looking at him. "I was about to put on a show!" He whined in to complain.

"Leave it for next time." The horse said. "Now gather your things, we are leaving." He turned to the two cops, "Officers." He said by inclining his head respectfully, and he was soon walking away.

Nick returned the gestured, and he and Judy were about to turn and leave, but someone was not happy with the turn that this situation was taking.

"Hey! Why are you letting them go?" The armadillo lady asked as she stepped forward. "Arrest them!"

"Why?" Nick asked, and the armadillo once more ignored him.

"As a good and upstanding citizen I demand you to arrest these lowlifes now!"

Judy looked at the woman, and soon, she was speaking:

"Ma'am, I have no reasons to arrest any of them."

"What!?"

"They are not breaking any law." Judy said, more sternly. "I cannot arrest them for being indecent, for even though it is unusual for someone to remove their shirt in the middle of the street, it does not constitute nudity. I cannot arrest them for order disturbance, for they are in a public place, and they are not bothering too many people. I cannot arrest them for performing in the street, for the constitution says that is part of their freedom of expression, a matter of fact, the laws say that I should defend their right to perform, so long as they do not disrespect someone else's rights."

The armadillo looked at her, and the bunny had her arms crossed. "Long story short: they have not broken any law or made anything that constitutes a felony, so I have no reasons or grounds to arrest them on anything."

"So you will just let these low lives walk away?" The armadillo said. "This is an absurd! These mammals are going to start a problem!"

"Why do you think that?" Judy asked.

"Just look at them!" She said, gesturing to the mammals who were getting ready to leave, and who was now looking at her as she made her speech. "The ripped clothing! The dyed fur! I know troublemakers when I see them! These three need to be put behind bars before they start causing trouble!"

Nick lowered his shades to look at the lady, and Judy had a serious look on her face as she looked at the mammal before her.

"So, this is why you want them to be arrested?" Judy asked. "Because they don't look proper? Lady, they have the right to express themselves, a right that is granted to them by law."

"Just leave it, Carrots." Nick said, "I guess that this lady has her point. Let's just go and have some grub before going back to the precinct."

"And _you_ stay out of this!" The armadillo said, rather aggressively.

"Ma'am, do _not_ speak to my partner like that!" Judy said to her. "He is a cop, he is an honest mammal, and he does deserve to be treated with respect!"

The armadillo reeled back a bit from her outburst, but she did not let it go.

"These three are going to cause troubles. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"We are leaving already." The horse said as he put his shirt back. "You don't need to rip out your panties and scream. We are just minding our own business."

"You should be doing something other than walking in the streets!" The armadillo said, pointing at the horse. "You should be studying! Or working! Not going around acting like a clown! These two I can even understand why, but you!?"

The horse looked at her, and so did the two canids that were with him.

"You should have a little more decorum and civility! What kind of respectable mammal dances like a madman in the middle of the street?"

"One that Likes to have fun and doesn't give fudge to what others think." The horse said, with the same calm smile on his face. "After all, you only live once, so you got to make it count, right? Have fun and do the best you can.

The armadillo "Hmphed!" as she looked at the horse with disdain. "These are exactly the kinds of excuses that riffraff says to justify why they keep doing nothing."

"Ma'am." Judy said, "I'll have to ask you to calm down. You seem to be getting too much nervous."

The armadillo ignored Judy and continued to focus her attention to the mammals in there. Who, by the way, seemed to be giving her very little mind. They were just turning around to leave.

"It is mammals like you that become a turmoil to the world! Good for nothing scums."

The three mammals stopped in their tracks. In better words, the horse stopped in his tracks, his ears twitching. The other canines also stopped, but they were staring at the horse. One of them said a curse, while the other had his hands in his mouth.

They looked… scared.

"What did you just said, old lady?" The horse said, his voice neutral, but Nick noticed the change in the attitude of the two other mammals, and he could see that they were backing away from the horse slowly, looking at him as if he was a ticking bomb about to explode.

"That you all are nothing but trouble to society! Or am I wrong?" The woman continued, oblivious to the way that the canines were looking at the horse. The horse didn't turn to her, he still had his back at the lady, and the only movement that was possible to see from him was the twitching of one of his ears, and it almost looked like some sort of nervous tic.

"You called me 'good for nothing'…" the horse said, his voice growing low, and Nick was starting to have a bad feeling. "Didn't you?"

"C-come on now, Percy." The wolf said, and he looked scared. "I-I'm sure that she didn't mean that…"

"Darn I did!" The armadillo said. "After all, the ones like you that keep doing these things, instead of dedicating themselves to something good and productive are only some good for nothing scums!" She said, and the canines both looked at her, completely mortified. "You are just a bunch of lowlifes who don't do anything good or productive! This is so deplorable! Your families must be so ashamed for knowing that you are out doing things like that!"

Judy looked at the woman, she had quite a disgusting look into her face, and Nick looked at her as he saw his suspicions being confirmed. The horse continued with his back turned to her, and his ear twitched even more. The two mammals took a few more steps back, and they looked like they were just expecting a tragedy to happen.

After a few seconds, the horse slowly turned around, and he was looking at the armadillo with a smile on his face. However, Nick could see the strangest look in his eyes, one that gave him a chill running from the back of his neck to the tip of his tail.

"You know, lady, you do remind me of my mother…" The horse said, and he gave a step in her direction.

"P-Percy…" The wolf said. "L-let's not do anything crazy now…." He seemed that he wanted to reason, but the horse was not listening to him.

"Oh, yes…" The horse said, his eyes on the armadillo, who was now becoming quite uncomfortable with the way that he was looking at her. "These things you said… the look you have in your eyes looking at me…" The horse raised his arm, and his hand was turned up, and it was possible to see something glowing in it.

"Percy!" The wolf said, but he was ignored. The glow that had formed in the hand of the horse was more intense now, and it was possible to see that it was some kind of flame. Nick raised an eyebrow as he looked at that, was it some kind of trick?

However, soon, the flame moved out of his hand and started to circle around his arm, and the flame seemed to be changing colors as it moved on his arm. It stopped once more in the palm of his hand, as the horse now held it away from his body.

"The last time I saw her…" the horse said, as the flame in his hand started to grow, it was changing colors as it grew. "She said to me the exact same words that you have just repeated…" The horse said, and the fire in his hand had grown and taken the shape of a heart, one that glowed in a strong, violet flame.

All the mammals who were looking at it were amazed. Including the mammals who were the closest, namely: Nick, Judy, and the armadillo lady, who looked terrified.

"Oh, yes…" The horse said, and he turned to look at the woman. "You do remind me so much of my mother…"

There was a moment of silence when the fire that made out the heart suddenly grew in intensity and changed from the violet to a strong shade of red.

"I HATE MY MOTHER!"


	5. Things We Can Do

Now, Judy could say that she had seen quite a few things ever since she moved into Zootopia. Including maniac sheep and diminutive crime lords. However, she had not quite seen something like what she was seeing in front of her eyes in there.

The horse had a great, flaming heart floating above his hand, and it was hot, for Judy could feel the heat form where she was standing, and so could Nick and the armadillo lady, by the way. The horse was practically fuming, with a maniacal smile on his face as the flaming heart continued to bur on his hand.

The crowd seemed like it was holding its breath, and so were the two canines in the background. As if they were just expecting the unfolding of what was happening.

The horse continued to pant.

And to pant.

Eventually, his breathing starting getting more even, and the smile that he had was calming down, and becoming more like the calm smile from before. Meanwhile, the red flames of the heart started changing color again, and going back to that soft violet coloration.

The horse took one last deep breath, and he looked at the three smaller mammals in front of them, the armadillo woman in particular.

"But, you are not my mother…" The horse said, giving a sympathetic smile. "So, I guess I can give you a little slack." He said, winking.

As one, the crowd and the canines let out their breath.

"So, that being said," the horse spoke, as he looked at the crowd, and said, "It is time for me and my friends to _vanish from the party_! It was great performing to such an amazing crowd! You are the best! We love you, Zootopia! Have a nice day!" With this, the horse winked and snapped his hooved fingers, and the heart immediately collapsed upon itself, causing the violet flames that formed it to convert into smoke, which spread out.

"Wha-"

"Hey!"

"I can't see!"

The smokescreen blinded the three mammals, as it was thick, but it didn't caused troubles breathing at all, having a strong, but not overpowering smell, which somehow like a chemical product.

The cloud lasted for some moments, but soon it was dissipating, and as it did, the horse, wolf and dog were no longer there.

The crowd reacted soon, as the mammals in there all cheered and applauded, as the show had come to an amazing finale.

"Okay… that actually happened." Nick said, as he and Judy both waved their hands in front of their faces to try to clear out what was left of the strange smoke.

"Did you saw that?" Judy said, looking around, trying to catch sight of the three strange mammals, especially of the horse. "Did you saw what that horse did?"

"Yeah, I did." Nick said. "It is the kind of thing that you don't see every day."

"How did he do that?" Judy said, and Nick shrugged, right before he turned his head to the armadillo lady, who was still in the ground, and she had a thousand-yard stare, and Nick could also notice that she was shaking.

"Lady?" The fox cop asked, but there was no answer.

"Lady, you still with us?"

The armadillo blinked, and she looked at the fox, who was looking back at her.

"… huh?"

"Are you alright?" Nick asked, now starting to get genuinely worried.

"I-I… I guess so…" The armadillo said. "I-I just need to… Drink some tea… In my house…" She got up slowly, and started to walk away. Nick had a raised eyebrow at her, and he couldn't help but think:

"_Man, that little number that the horse did scared her real bad._"

"Where are they?" Judy asked, and Nick looked at his partner, before looking around. These three were nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, the crowd was excited as they talked to each other, mostly about the amazing show that the three guys did, ending with an amazing magic trick. Some of them had been recording it into their phones the whole event, and now they were posting the videos they made. The mammals were walking away, as the show that had brought them together now had ended. Some remained behind as they talked to each other or looked around, as if trying to find a clue of where the mammals had gone. Nick and Judy were among the later ones.

"Mammals don't just disappear like that." Judy said, still looking around.

"Well, I'd say it seems to be turning into a trend." Nick said, "I wonder how much they have rehearsed before they got ready to do that little number of theirs."

The bunny continued to look around, she even came close to the place the horse was in, and she was examining the ground, as if she would do when looking for evidence of a crime. "_He was standing right here… Now, if he moved right after the smokescreen appeared…_"

"Well, it looks like our job here is done." Nick said, clasping his hands together as he looked at his bunny friend and partner. "What about we drive to the nearest food place and buy ourselves a snack? Maybe even a little bite for our friend of the reception desk?"

Judy looked up at him, and she looked around one more time.

"How did that horse did that?"

"Some alcohol on his fingers? A smoke machine on his pocket? Maybe some of that fire-proof flammable gel on his hand? Who knows? Maybe we can make him talk next time we see him, but you know how these street magicians are with their tricks." Nick said, and he turned around to walk back to their vehicle, and Judy remained in place for a few more moments, looking at the place one last time before she turned around and walked behind her partner.

The thing that the horse did with the flames… Judy had never quite seen anything like that. It had been a trick. Anyone reasonable would assume that it was a trick. It had to be.

Still…

"Dude! On top of all of that the horse is still a magician!" Someone in the crowd said.

"Yeah, that thing of the fire heart and the smoke was awesome!"

"I got it on video!"

"Me too!"

"I'll post it right now!"

As the crowd dispersed and chatted about the "great finale" of the show that the guys had put, they were showing each other the shots they got from it in their cellphones. Pictures and videos were being showed among friends, right before they were uploaded in MuzzleBook accounts and shared with friends and contacts.

Meanwhile, the two cops had gotten into their car and were driving away from the place. All the while, Judy had not stopped thinking on what she had seen back there.

* * *

Upon arriving, Nick and Judy were sure to stop by the "donut office" to give a box of donut to their ample friend.

They found Benjamin with his back turned to the front of the reception desk. The cheetah seemed not to have noticed their approaching.

"Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh…" They could hear him muttering. The fox and bunny sahred a look, before Judy called.

"Huhhh… Clawhauser?"

The cheetah continued to have his back turned, and he seemed as if he had not noticed their approach.

"Clawhauser?" Judy called again. She had the slightly impression that the cheetah was getting hyperactive…

"Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh" the cheetah started to mutter, and Judy now had the distinct impression that there was something making him distraught.

"Benjamin!" Judy called as loud as she could. The answer was immediate, as the cheetah let out a surprised squeal as he threw his arms upwards. His phone going into the air, and the cheetah had to throw himself into his desk to grab the device before it hit the ground. Once it was secure into his paws, the big feline now was looking at the two smaller mammals, looking like a kitten caught with the paws in the cookie jar.

Judy and Nick both looked at him, and at the expression on his face.

"Hey, Spots." Nick said, "What, checking on a dating site to see if someone is to your liking?"

"W-what?" Benjamin said, looking at his phone and back at the two mammals. He quickly hid it behind his back. "O-oh! Right! I-I was… I… Huhhh…"

"Hey, relax, I was just messing with you." Nick said, "No need to get that nervous."

"Y-yeah… I know. Sorry. Is just I… I was looking at a video someone tagged me and… I got a little caught up in it." He said, looking at the ground. Nick raised an eyebrow at him, and after a little pause, he asked:

"Clawhauser." The cheetah looked at him. "This video your friend tagged you. Did it made you upset?"

The cheetah looked at him, and he seemed to be about to answer, but he only held that expression for a while, and he looked away from the fox's face, looking not too well."

"Ben…" Judy said. "It was not a video about what happened in Fangtropolis, is it?" There was genuine concern in her voice. Ben had been down for days ever since he saw what happened on live tv. The last thing that he needed was a video that would bring all of these memories back to him.

Clawhauser looked at her, and after a while of what seemed to be silent consideration, he gently shook his head. "No, nothing like that." He said. "It is just… look, is just a silly video, it is nothing you guys should worry about, really." He said, as he took a deep breath and put on a smile on his face, recomposing into his chair. "Just a silly thing that even I should be worrying so much. I'm fine. Ohhhhh, are those for me?" He said, looking at the box of donuts that Nick was carrying with both arms.

Judy was about to press on the subject, but Nick was quick to cut her out.

"Sure are, buddy." Judy looked at the fox, who offered them to the big cheetah. "We were lucky, these were the last one with these colorful sprinkles that you love."

Clawhauser smiled with his paws balled on fists on his checks, and he lunged into the box, snatching it from Nick and taking it to himself.

Judy looked at him, and back at Nick, who was gesturing very subtly at her to drop it. She looked at him for a few moments, and she complied, especially when he saw Benjamin humming happily as he savored these donuts. It was good to see him in the regular happy and bubbly self. To ruin it over some video that she was curious to know about… it just was not worth it.

"Hey, you!" A voice suddenly came. The three mammals turned around to look at who was it. They saw a sheep approaching. This sheep was around five feet tall, with white bulky wool, and with these regular sheep eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt over his wooly body, and brown pants with black tissue belt. The sheep came to them with a sure step as he stood in front of the front desk, and he said:

"I want to see the one who runs this place! Where is the chief's office?"

Nick and Judy shared a look.

Benjamin was about to answer, when Nick cut him.

"And you would be?"

"None of your business, fox!" The sheep said, rather aggressively.

"Ouch. That is quite rude." Nick said, with feigned emotional pain. "And you sheep are known for being such sweet creatures."

"We are also know for head-butting someone who angers us." The sheep said, turning to look at the fox. "So, you would be smart on not getting me angry."

"You realize you are threatening a law officer, right?"

"Enough of that!" The sheep demanded. "I want to see the police chief!" The sheep demanded, and Nick and Judy shared another look, while Clawhauser just looked at them as someone who is quite like left out in the situation.

"Well, if you want so much to see the chief, then I guess we should take you to him, right?" Nick said, and he turned to Clawhauser. "Spots, turn your direct line with the chief and tell him we are taking an angry sheep to see him." He turned to the sheep, and said, "Sir, if you were kind enough to follow us?"

The sheep snorted some nasty answer, and soon he was following both the fox and the rabbit as the cheetah looked at them leave, before he did as the fox had asked him.

One quick elevator trip and a walk in the superior walk and soon they were knocking on Chief Bogo's door. It took only a moment before the big buffalo opened the door, and he did not looked very happy.

"This better be really important." The chief said, looking not only to the sheep, but also to the two officers that had scouted him there.

"You are the one who runs this zoo?" The sheep asked, causing the chief to look at him in surprise. "I have a thing that I want to talk with you about. We have to be quick, I have to go into a _big break house party_ after I'm done here.

The chief looked at him for a few moments, and he said:

"Get in."

Soon, the three mammals walked into the chief's office, as the water buffalo closed the door behind himself, locking it. He turned to look at the sheep, in time to see the mammal reach out around his neck and move his wool aside, stretching his skin up his head, until his whole head was shoved backwards, revealing another head hidden just underneath it. It was the head of a wolf, with dark-brown fur, a white muzzle, a big black snout, and eyes of a teal-blue coloration.

The wolf took a deep, gasping breath, as he opened the buttons of the shirt, opening it to reveal that underneath, instead of wool, he had the same dark-brown fur of his head. "Great Fenrir! This feels good!" The "sheep" said as he was able to free himself a little from the costume he was wearing. "I swear that if I stand underneath the sun too long I'm gonna bake like a pie!"

The three animals looked at the mammal, with the chief being the first to talk:

"Wolfard." He said, nodding at the wolf, who only nodded back at him, as he enjoyed the air conditioner of the chief's office.

"That sheep costume of yours still freaks me out." Nick said as he looked at the panting wolf.

"I'm still amazed at how realistic it looks." Judy said, admiring the costume that the wolf used for his undercover works. She heard that Wolfard had fabricate it himself, and she could only think that the wolf must be extremely skilled to make something so good.

"Yeah, but it gets HOT!" The wolf said, opening two more buttons to let the cold air reach all of his chest fur. "Seriously, I don't know how the sheep stand it all day."

"So…" Bogo said. "I assume you have something."

"Have I ever came back with empty paws?" Wolfard asked, as smile forming on his panting muzzle, as he fondled in the pants of his sheep costume. He pulled out what seemed to be pieces of old paper. "Wilde and Hopps' information was quite accurate. That 'Slimy Tusks' dude might not know how to brush his own tusks, but he is very helpful for interested customers."

The wolf gave the old and dirty papers to the buffalo, who looked at them and saw that they had been worked as if they were tickets. With a bad writing and an even worse grammar. "Tomorrow night. Sahara Square, Pier Nile Mouth, warehouse 12. He even gave me a suggestion on who to bet."

"You positive?"

"The guy was very specific. It was supposed to two days ago, but one of the fighters was not in the mood for fights. Apparently, the guy had family back in Fangtropolis." There was not need to say anything else on the subject.

"He also told me that if I got really close to the cage where they would fight maybe I could get my 'hooves' a lost tooth or two, but I needed to be careful not to get blood on my wool." The wolf added.

"Good… Very good." The chief said, walking back to his desk. He pressed the intercom.

"Clawhauser."

"_Yes, chief?_"

"When the officers come back from their assignments, tell them that they must go to the meeting room. I'll discuss with them something that will need some personnel."

"_Okie dokie!_"

"And, Clawhauser?"

"_Yes..?_"

"I know you have not been well lately." The chief said, in a tune softer than most officers were used to hear from his mouth. "If you think you need a few days off to relax, don't hesitate to say."

The three officers on the room shared looks. Normally, unless you had suffered a death in the family or was so sick that you were actually in the risk of dying, taking a day off to "relax" was a sure way to get yourself fired.

There was a brief silence, before Clawhauser's voice came back from the other side of the radio.

"_Thank sir, but I'm fine, really._" The cheetah's voice said. "_I'm really, really okay. Thanks for caring_."

There was another silence, before Bogo said.

"Okay, if you say so. Get back to work." The chief said in his usual tune, and he turned to look at the three mammals in the room, who were looking at him as if he had suddenly grown an extra pair of horns.

"The same goes to the three of you!" The chief said. "Get back to your assignments now!"

The three mammals flinched as the chief resumed being his regular loud self. Wolfard soon was buttoning the shirt of his costume again.

"Yeah, gotta go back to being the stereotypical 'wolf in sheep's clothing'?" Nick said to him as he walked to the door. The wolf turned to him, returning the smug smile.

"Yeah. The '_baked_ wolf into the _very_ _hot_ sheep's clothing'." The wolf said, before he fixed the mask of his costume and opened the door, saying something loudly about how these police guys were all useless.

"That wolf could have been an actor." Nick mentioned. "Seriously, he could easily win an Oxcar."

"And that costume is so good!" Judy said, "Seriously, if he had not talked back down I would not have known it was him!"

"Yeah, the damn thing looks real. I heard he used real wool to make it. Only the eyes that kinda look dead…"

"If the two of you are done musing on Wolfard's ability to create costumes." Chief Bogo's voice snapped at them. "You two need to go back to your desks and continue your work."

"Oh, right! Right away, sir! Let's go Nick!" Judy said, as she rushed to the door. Nick looked like he was going to follow her, but he stopped for a moment.

"Nick, lets go!" Judy said. But Nick remained in place, and he seemed like he was thinking of something.

"Wilde, have you decided to become part of my office's decoration?" Bogo asked. "If you have, at least go stand in a corner, so you will not trip on you when I walk."

There was a brief pause, and Nick turned around and looked at Bogo.

"Hey, Chief?"

"What?" Bogo asked.

"So, say." Nick said to him. "There would be any chance that Hopps and I could be on the team for tomorrow night?"

Bogo looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, we _were_ the ones who found the lead that will make this all possible, right? Technically, this is _our_ case. So maybe we could follow it until the very end." Nick spoke with his usual smirk, and the chief only looked back at the fox, while Judy stood in the door, watching the scene before her.

"Go back to your desks and continue your work." The buffalo said to him. "When the rest of the officers come back, we all will discuss this in the meeting room. Dismissed."

Soon, the two officers were walking out of the chief's office and taking the elevator back to the first floor.

"So, what was that?" Judy asked.

"What was what?"

"You asking that to the chief." Judy said, looking at the fox.

Nick looked back at her. "Oh, you mean, asking him to include the two officers that found the lead into the breaking of the place of the illegal fighting? Well, I just thought that maybe I should at least bring it up. After all, if I remember correctly, you were the one who was anxious for it in the day we first found the clue, ain't I right?"

Judy looked at him, realizing that he had a point. "Well, yes, but…"

"What, are you having second thoughts on this?" Nick asked. "The great Officer Hopps is having second thoughts about going after bad guys and helping make the world a better place for mammals everywhere?"

There was no answer. Nick looked at Judy, and kneeled in front of her as he put a hand in her chin.

"Carrots, listen to me." Nick said. Judy did as he asked, and looked at his face. "We all have been on edge in the past three days. Believe me. You don't need to be extremely perceptive to noticed that a lot of people have not been feeling quite well since… that night."

Yes, Nick was right. Ever since the Darkest Hour, many mammals were not feeling okay. There was sadness. Stress. There were people talking about the subject. Some of the people who saw it through the television, like Nick and Judy had, were pretty shaken by the event. She even heard about some officers who had not come to work for a day or two, and came back looking downtrodden.

"There are cases in which we cannot help others." Nick said, "No matter how hard we want to." For a moment, Judy wondered if Nick was saying that to her or to himself. After a moment, Nick looked back into her eyes, and he continued:

"But there are things that we _can_ do. There are mammals who we _can_ help. This is what we must do, Carrots. We must focus into what we can do now, and give our best in doing it. Going after these guys, stopping a ring of illegal fights in which mammals can potentially kill each other just to pleasure a crazy crowd? That is something that we definitely can do, and we can do it very well."

Judy looked back at him, and Nick smiled at her. "After all, we are two of the top officers of the ZPD, right?"

Judy looked at him, and she saw that same smug smile that she had known for around one and a half year now. However, this time, she also saw something else behind it. She saw a kind smile of a truly caring friend. She felt a warm within her chest, and she could not help but smile at Nick.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." She said, as she and Nick just looked into each other's eyes. Nick looked at these amethyst orbs, while Judy looked at the sea of emerald that were Nick's eyes. They were almost looking hypnotized by each other. However, they could still notice something.

Turning their eyes to the open door of the elevator, they saw a familiar face. It was a wolf wearing the blue ZPD uniform. He was shorter than the average wolf, being 4'5'' feet tall, but he looked to be quite fit. The fur on his body was a grayish-white coloration, with the exception of the insides of his ears, which were dark-grey. His eyes were also dark-grey, almost black, and they were glued in the two smaller mammals. The wolf was shaking slightly, and he had a look of his face that was of barely contained excitement, with a visible giddy smile.

The two mammals looked at the wolf, at each other, and they immediately separated, as if all of sudden being aware of how close together they were. The wolf, however, continued to look at them with that look of giddy happiness.

"Ahem! Officer Fanghanel." Judy said, as she composed herself and looked at the other officer, Eliot Fanghanel. The wolf continued to look at her for a moment, and he somehow managed to compose himself. The look of giddy happiness was replaced by a smirk at the two, much more controlled. However, behind him, his tail continued to wag at a very high speed.

"So… did I interrupted some moment between Zootopia's darlings?" Eliot asked the two, the smug smirk still in his face.

"Nah, it was just some conversation." Nick said dismissively. Eliot nodded, humming an "umm-humm" of someone who knows better. The fox looked at him, and he spoke. "So, white fang, are you going upstairs to the bull's corral?"

"Yup, the chief wanted me to have a word with him." Eliot said, "Something about the little surprise party I made for Pennington last week."

"Oh, yeah." Nick said, remembering the event. "The one in which you came rolling in with a whole band in the bullpen in the middle of the briefing… I still don't know how you got a cake that big through the door."

"Oh, it wasn't easy." Eliot said. "Believe me."

"So, I do believe we got to go back to our assignments." Judy said, and soon she and Nick were moving past Eliot, who walked between them inside the elevator. "Officer Fanghanel." Judy said to the wolf as he went inside.

"Officers." The wolf said, getting inside of the elevator and turning to look at them as they left. The wolf continued to smile at the two going officers as the doors closed. Right after they closed, someone who was close enough could hear the sound of a loud, excited howl coming from the inside.

"Our dear white fang is still as excitable as ever." Nick mentioned casually as they walked.

"I really hope that the chief doesn't fire him." Judy said, "It was already bad enough that he got a week's suspension after that."

"Firing our dear Eliot? Nah, buffalo butt wouldn't go that far." Nick said, "The guy is almost as good as making this place more friendly as me or Benji. It would become a lot more boring if he left, and the chief knows that."

Nick had a point in there. Ever since day one it was clear that Eliot was what many would call "a nut case". He was prone to making crazy comments, many of which seemed to have little to no base, and he was also famous for jumping to conclusions. Still, many enjoyed his attitude, for he was positive and funny, and he often made the place brighter by being in it, even if sometimes he didn't quite heard to others, and tended to ignore common notions of personal space. Eliot was fun to have around, and many in Precinct 1 enjoyed his company, even if he was a bit annoying at times.

Not to mention that there were a few occurrences around the precinct regarding Eliot that one could almost classify as stalking…

"He seemed really happy, didn't he?" Judy said casually, and Nick nodded.

"Yeah, he sure did."

"What do you think got him so happy?"

"Oh, trust me, Carrots." Nick said, remembering a few of the commentaries that he had heard Eliot making about him and certain bunny cop, and also what he heard white fang and Benjamin speaking about some kind pool going on about "WH". "You really don't want to know…"

* * *

The day went on rather uneventful.

Judy and Nick continued with their desk duty. Meanwhile, the officers came back from their respective assignments as the day went on, and each one of them got the message from Benjamin about the meeting at the bullpen at the end of the day to discuss the matter of importance.

Granted, by the end of the day, most of the officers of Precinct 1 were gathered into the bull pen, from the biggest to the smallest. And we are not referring only to Judy and Nick.

Ever since Judy's, and half a year later Nick's, graduation in the academy and their joining in the ZPD, there was an influx of smaller mammals attempting to join the police. Not all of them graduated, of course, but some did, and some of them were good enough to join in the Precinct one.

These smaller mammals were able to gather many in a single one of the biggest chairs, and along with their much bigger brothers in blue, they were waiting for the chief to come.

Once he entered, it was the traditional thing, and once the commotion died down, the Chief Bogo looked around the place, at each officer in there, big and small.

"Officers." He said. "You are probably wondering why I have gathered all of you here." He spoke, and before Fanghanel could make some inconsistent commentary, or Wilde could wisecrack, the cape buffalo said: "I did, because today an undercover officer has brought about an important lead on the case of the illegal ring fights."

A murmur came from the officers. Bogo continued.

"So, for those who _still_ don't know, recently, Zootopia has faced a problem that seems to have come from some of our neighbor cities: mammals who gather in abandoned places to see two fighters use their claws, teeth or antlers against each other." The buffalo said, looking at his subordinates. "They have come to our knowledge after a video from a phone was leaked, showing one of these fights. Now, I would show this video to you, but it is quite brutal, and I don't want some of you to go back to your homes without appetite for dinner."

"So, we have known of these fights for the past month, however, it is very likely that they have been going on for longer than that. Naturally, since this kind of event is greatly against the law, we, as upholders of the laws, have the duty to stop it. Not to mention that the City Council got personally disturbed by the level of violence in these fights, and they have put us to stop them before someone gets kill."

"So, some of ours best officers have been set into finding information on these fights, but it proved to be quite difficult, since they seemed to make it sure that the information regarding the fights would be restricted. Some say it was even amazing that the video leaked and we got the wise of the fights, in first place."

"However, a few days ago we seemed to have a certain stroke of luck, as Officers Wilde and Hopps found out a piece of information regarding the fights."

"Happy to serve, chief!" Nick said, making a salute, and Judy could only smile as she stood by his side on their chair.

"This information" Bogo continued, choosing to ignore Wilde and focus on what was important, "Has allowed us to reach a very solid lead. Not only we have the full knowledge of the place and date of the next fight, but we also have some info on the 'professionals' who are going to fight."

"The first one is a bison who goes by the name 'Jason Killer Hooves'. Real name: Jason Bisantin. He was quite a name in the professional fighting circles. Three years ago, his wife left him and placed a restraining order on him for domestic violence, and after that he got caught more than once for drunk driving. He was finally banished from the professional cycles for having become too violent, as in his last fight he beat his opponent so much that the guy went in a coma. He is strong and we assume that he is very violent."

"The second fighter is a lion named Mateo Fera. He has quite a history, which includes a lot of citations in his early days, including for order disturbance and aggression. After he completed 18, he also got caught a lot of times for possession and use of catnip, he is a known addicted. He is said to be violent and prone to using claws and teeth in any fight he gets into, be it in the street or with a law officer. He is not native to Zootopia…" The buffalo made a small pause, and continued: "He was born and raised in the city of Fangtropolis, having moved here last year. However, his brother still lived in the city…"

Bogo didn't continued, there was no need. Everyone knew what that implied, and the heavy looks in the face of many officers was easily noticed. The buffalo decided that it was better to continue.

"Fera can be considered as violent as Bisantin, if not more. Not only that and the fact that he is a known addicted, but there is also the fact that he is famous for hate crimes against prey. Yes, he is a predator supremacist, and he will by fighting against a prey, you all can easily see where this is going to go."

"This fight will happen tomorrow night, and we have the chance to catch the ones behind this event and shut it down for good. For that, I'll going to assembly a team of mammals to proceed. And _this_ is why you are all here."

The chief stood there as he looked at the many officers in there, and he said:

"I would like to tell you that I already have a few names that I'm going to call into this mission. However, I'd like to know if someone else would like to volunteer for this, or offer your names. Be aware, this will be a mission of importance, and it will be dangerous."

There was a certain silence in the room. However, there were some officers who did rose their paws and hooves as they were wanting to take part on it. Bogo knew that not all of them would be part of it, but he knew that some of them were qualified, and that some of them would insist to be present in this, for one reason or another.

Well, it seemed that the meeting was going to take a while.

A good number of the smaller officers wanted to take part in the busting. Some of them probably wanted to prove themselves, just like Hopps had done. Still, Bogo knew that some of them just weren't suited for the job, either for their inexperience or for various other reasons. Still, Bogo ended up selecting some of them for this mission, like a meerkat named Meerkovitz, he was rather new, and he had got very good grades in the academy, especially in the terms of his aim when firing a dart gun, he was happy by being a transit guard, but he would be very good in this mission.

Among the officers were Wilde and Hopps. Their great deal of experience and the rather important cases that they cracked in their relatively little time in the force made them more than qualified for this busting. It was something that Hopps surely seemed thankful for.

Among the bigger animals were Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Delgato and Wolfard. After this was decided, as well as a brief discussing of what the officers would be doing in this busting, they were all dismissed.

Soon, Judy and Nick were both heading out of the station, both still in their uniforms, as they caught the train that would lead them to the central station, where they would go their separate ways back to their respective homes.

Nick was sitting next to the bunny, who seemed to be lost in thought. However, the way that her foot was tapping in the ground was an indicator that Nick could not ignore.

"So, already anxious for tomorrow?" He asked, and the bunny looked up at him, and she was actually able to smile back.

"Guess so. Well, it is something important, right?" She said, "We don't have these kinds of operations every day. So… yeah, I'm kind of anxious."

"Like the super carrot cop that I know." Nick said, and he added, "Good to see you being yourself again."

Judy looked at him, and she smiled softly. "Yeah, the whole Fangtopolis thing took a number in me."

"On all of us, Carrots."

There was a brief silence, and Judy spoke.

"Well, I guess you and Bogo both are right. There is nothing I can do about it…" Judy said, sounding a bit distant as she said that. "Sometimes there are occasions in which we just can't help others… no matter how much we want to."

A heavy silent hung in the air, as Nick knew that there was no proper answer to something like that.

"… But, there are occasions in which we _can_ help others." Judy completed the thought, looking back into at the fox. "In these occasions, we gotta give our best, and focus all of our efforts." She was smiling again. It was not a half or sad smile, it was one of the strong and confident smiles that Nick was used to seeing in her face. "It is in these moments that you really must do your job and do the best you can to help others and make the world a better place."

Nick smiled back at her, his usual smug smirk, and he said, "Oh, yeah, I was wondering when I was going to listen to another one of your speeches about 'making the world a better place'. My dear idealistic bunny."

Judy looked at him rather annoyed, but with a smile in her face. "You teasing fox."

"You know you love me." Nick said.

"Do you know that?" Judy said, and thought for a few moments, "Yes. Yes I do." She spoke, and this ended that little altercation that they had. It was just one of the many times that they have these kinds of talks, they were a sign that things were normal and fine, and that they had one now, was a sign that the mood surely had improved since that morning.

Nick couldn't help but feel satisfied that Judy was recovering her usual self. It was assign that things were going back to normal. As Nick relaxed, he catch something in the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he was able to see a butterfly. It had blue wings and it flapped them as it flew clumsily between the mammals.

"Hey, look at that." Nick said, and Judy soon was looking and seeing the butterfly as well.

"How did it got in the subway?"

"Maybe it just fluttered its way in?" Nick suggested, as he butterfly continued to flap its way among the mammals, who seemed not to notice it. "Seriously, you'd be surprised. I even saw pigeons walk inside of the trains."

The butterfly fluttered in between the mammals, and soon it was making its way in direction to the bench the two mammals were sitting into. It flapped its wings as it fluttered in front of them, circling their heads slightly.

"Hey!" Nick said, and Judy giggled a little bit.

"It is pretty." The bunny said.

The butterfly fluttered around them, before it landed in Nick's shoulder, and remained in there.

"I think it liked you." Judy said, and Nick looked curiously at the butterfly that was on his shoulder, seemed to have found a place where it liked to stay. Soon after, the train was stopping, as the voice announced which station they were in.

"Oh, look, it is our stop!" Judy said, and soon Nick and Judy both were getting out of their train. The butterfly was still steady on Nick's shoulder.

"Guess you made a new friend, Nick." Judy said, looking at the butterfly still on the fox's shoulder.

"Well, I _am_ quite amicable. Also, you know how they say that bugs love sweet things, right?" Nick said, flexing his eyebrows at the bunny, and Judy could only chuckle at the fox. Soon the two friends were saying farewell to each other as they went their separate ways. Judy went to get another train, while Nick now was walking in direction to the exit.

It was night, and there was a lot less mammals in the street, and the ones that passed seemed to give Nick little mind. Still, the fox was sure that he was still an unusual sight, being a fox in a police uniform. The butterfly nested on his shoulder surely seemed to add a little more to his interesting figure, Nick was sure.

"You really liked me, didn't you?" Nick asked the butterfly, and he was pretty sure that some would think he was crazy for talking with an insect.

The bug continued on his shoulder for all of the way he was making to his home. Including when he passed by a spot that he particularly didn't liked. It was an empty, large street that was very close to a big iron fence. This fence seemed to be dividing what seemed to be a gated community. There was a great banner on the other side of said fence, it showed cartoonish predators and a big saying: "**_HAPPYTOWN, PEACE THROUGH UNDERSTANDING_**". The banner was as old and wear down as the rest of whatever was inside of "Happytown", from the abandoned buildings to the old benches and trashcans.

Nick couldn't help but shiver as he had to look at that place on his way home. It always gave him shivers. And apparently, it was not just him. The butterfly on his shoulder was flapping its wings a bit more. It was still steady in his shoulder, but it almost seemed to be distraught.

"Don't like that place?" Nick asked, as he quickened his pace. "Me neither."

Nick felt relieved as he left that iron fence behind, not even bothering to look behind to give a last evil glare at it, as he simply wanted to get home.

A while more of walking, and Nick was arriving at an old building. It was a bit worn down by time, but it still looked nice. Walking in, Nick gave a quick "hello" at the llama who watched the main gate, and soon he was walking up the stairs and into his apartment.

The building could be a little old, but the apartment was not bad in the slightest. It was nicely sized, and it had good furniture. Nick had been a scammer of great success for a while before he changed professions. He was able to gather a good deal of money from unsuspecting mammals, enough for him to be able to live comfortably. His apartment had a big couch, some fancy chairs, and even a big screen television. All of that bought with hustling money!

It was something that Nick would not say proudly to his new friends at the police, of course, but he would be lying if he said he didn't felt quite proud of himself for having made enough money to have a home like this. He still had some saved…

Sighing, Nick let himself rest. As he loosened his tie, and he was on the way across unbuttoning his shirt, as he looked to see the butterfly still steady on his shoulder.

He stared at it for a few moments, and said: "Ooookay… Look, it is not that I don't like having you around… actually, I'm glad that you came home with me, but I really would like some 'me time' now." As Nick spoke, he moved his paw at the butterfly, and it climbed into his finger. Nick walked to the window and opened it, "You should go your way, you know, look for some garden, butterfly things. Okay? Now shoo!" Nick said, and waved his hand, making the butterfly take fly out of it.

Nick closed the window, and he sighed.

"I'm really making friends with insects now… I need to get out more." He said as he removed his shirt and was now going in direction to the bathroom, to take a good hot shower.

As Nick mused, the butterfly continued to fly just outside of his window. After a while, it fluttered away.

After moving a couple several meters from Nick's window, the butterfly started to glow. As it did, it looked as it was crumbling away in dots of light, as the wings cracked like crystal. In seconds, the butterfly had completely broken down in dots of light, which disappeared in the air.

* * *

Judy had a calm and smooth travel back home. Of course, considering that the train she was taking had considerably more mammals than the last one, she had to resort to hold onto someone's tail, due to her small stature, this also meant that, in some cases, she was right at butt level. This was one of the disadvantages of being a short mammal, but still, the ride home was rather smooth.

She was easily able to get out of the train and take the stairs to go back to her home. It was just a short walk from that point. The streets were rather empty at that time, but still, Judy felt secure enough to walk back to her home.

After all, it was not like someone who try something with someone like her.

However, as she walked, she felt a shiver run up her spine, and her nose started to twitch. She knew that feeling, the feeling that there was someone watching her. Judy looked to the sides, as she tried to point out the location of the one who was watching her.

Some mammals in there. A deer crossing the street. A raccoon turning the corner.

But none of them looked like they had their eyes on her.

Judy blinked, and she slowly turned back around, and continued to walk.

However, her nose was still twitching. She still had this feeling in the back of her head that there was someone watching her. Following her. Looking at her every move.

Judy starting walking faster. The feeling was still there. A feeling of nervousness. A feeling of being followed, almost stalked.

Judy quickened her pace a bit more. The feeling persisted.

Soon Judy was practically scampering into the street, drawing a few looks of the mammals that were on the street. Judy continued to scamper until she had sight of her home. The building Grand Pangolin Arms.

Judy bounded to there, and she practically made an Olympic jump as she covered the stairs all in one go. She opened the door as quickly as she could, got inside, and practically slammed the door closed, startling the landlady, who was going down with a nightgown, and who almost jumped back as the bunny came in jumps.

"M-Miss Hopps?" Dharma Armadillo said to the bunny, who was panting as she had come inside. "Hopps? Are you okay?"

Judy took a few moments to answer, as she took a deep breath. The feeling that had over her on the street was now dissipating. Her nose finally was stopping twitching, as now she felt that no one was watching her anymore.

She finally was able to gather her thoughts, and she looked at the landlady, who looked at her with worry. Judy gave her an excuse, that she wanted to get home because she was tired and wanted to rest. It took a while of convincing, but the armadillo accepted her justification, and Judy soon was climbing the steps in direction to her apartment.

Judy was a cop. She prided herself as strong and independent, so she was not about to admit that she had bolted inside the house because she had the feeling that someone was following her and that got her scared. Besides, she felt much safer now that she was at home. She felt calm and in control, and what had just happened was just something that was quick and was over now.

The last thing she needed now was for others to see her as some paranoid, easily spoken bunny, confirming much of the stereotypes that she was working so hard in breaking.

As she approached her apartment, she was able to hear the familiar voices of the Oryx-Antlersons, on yet another of their squabbles.

"Why do you need to practice this meditation thing, anyway!?" Pronk's voice came

"Because the site says that they will help increase my inner peace and make my life better!" Bucky answered. "And it is not meditation! Is a series of mental exercises based on old exoteric traditions!"

"Oh, it is meditation! We already go to the Mystic Springs! Why do you need to meditate at home!?"

"Maybe because I want to try and improve myself and better my life!"

"You want to improve yourself!? Than quit looking at these self-help trash online and try to learn something more useful! Like how to fix radios! Ours has been broken since before we moved in!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

Judy rolled her eyes, and she unlocked the door. She said as loud as she could:

"Hey boys!"

"Hey, Hopps!" Pronk's voice answered.

"How was work today?"

"Oh, just nice." Judy said across the wall. "Pretty slow, but Nick and I were called on some order disturbance that turned out to be just some animals performing in the street!"

She unbuttoned her vest and removed it. "There was a wolf playing guitar and a dog doing remix! And there was also a horse dancing! At the end, the horse did something kind a strange… he created flames from his hooves and made a smoke screen."

"Wait! You mean, that video I got tagged in today? That of the 'presentation at downtown'? In which the end the horse makes a heart of flames and then turns it into a cloud of smoke?"

"Yeah! The very same!" Judy said, stopping in midway as she was unbuttoning her pants, and the answer came right after.

"So you and the fox saw it! Was it cool? Because it did looked cool from my cellphone. A friend of mine was there and he recorded the whole thing in video! He posted it on ZooTube and tagged me on MuzzleBook! It was really cool!"

"Yeah, it was cool! We got it! Give it a break!"

"What? I'm not allowed to like something?"

"Yeah, but you don't need to keep repeating how cool it is every two minutes!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

Judy just smiled and rolled her eyes. She removed her clothes completely, and she changed into something more comfortable. She downed some nice shirt and a pair of slack pants. Now, she rummaged through the fridge in look for the plate she had left ready for herself earlier. Some nice salad with broccoli and some pasta.

Humming as Bucky and Pronk continued their arguing (something that she had already quite got used to) she made her way to the microwave and put the plate inside. Soon she pressed the button, and as the food was getting heated, she walked back to the fridge of get herself some orange juice.

All of sudden, she felt a shiver running down her spine.

A familiar feeling came to her as her nose started to twitch.

There it was again.

That feeling of being watched.

Judy looked around in reflex, trying to pin point where it was coming from. However, she soon was reprimanding herself.

_Oh, come on Judith!_ She said in her own head. _Now you are feeling like there is a stalker in your own apartment!? That is too paranoid even by bunny standards! Just take a deep breath and relax! This is your home. You are safe here. Besides, there is even no one around to be watching…_

"Hey, that bird is there again!"

Bucky's voice broke Judy out of her thinking.

"Bird!? What Bird?"

"That bird that I told you about a few days ago! That weird-looking crow! It is just there outside the window again!"

Judy blinked, and she looked at her own window.

There was something outside, she could see it.

Judy blinked, and she approached the window, to take a better look. She was able to see something perking in the electric cables, before the black creature flapped its wings and flew away with a loud cawing sound.

Judy almost jumped back when she saw it, her nose twitching madly.

"It just flew away!"

"It was probably just some bird!"

"It was strange!"

"What do you mean by strange? It is a crow! It is not like there aren't crows around!"

"That crow is strange! It comes here every few days and just keeps perched in that line looking at the building! It is creepy!"

"What, the crow is spying on the building now?"

"I'm telling you it is strange!"

"Not as strange as a guy who thinks that birds are spying in mammals!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

They continued at this, and Judy was in there. Still feeling a bit shaken from what had just happened. The sound of the microwave indicating that her food was ready snapped her out of the strange thoughts, and she was able to shake it away as just a bird perched in the powerlines. Nothing too out of normal in there.

But still…

As Judy went for her meal, and her crazy neighbors continued their bickering, the black bird flew away from the building, moving high and away from the streets of the city. It glided silently across the night sky, practically invisible against it with its own black feathers.

After a while, the crow was going down again. Closer and closer to the ground, as it approached the hoof of a certain building. As it landed, a figure came from the shadows and approached the crow.

The crow perked in there, and looked at the figure as it approached.

The crow cawed, as the figure came close, and gently reached a furred paw to pet on the head of the crow…

* * *

**Another chapter.**

**For those who doesn't know, Eliot Fanghanel is not my character, it is the OC of Koraru-san**


	6. Special Mission

Bogo had a very good deal of experience during his time as chief of police. Many times he had to supervise a busting into a criminal organization. From local drug dealers to one occasion when he helped the FBI with a mammal-trafficking ring. He had some experience with these things, and he knew how to assemble a good team.

Of course, he would love to have more time to plan these kinds of things, but time was a luxury that you can't always have.

These illegal fights were too violent to be ignored, and who knew when they would have another chance to bust these? They needed to act fast.

As soon as the day came, and after the briefing of the assignments for the day, all of the mammals who had been assigned to the job in the previous night had gathered into the bull-pen to discuss the details on the busting that they would make on that same night.

"There will be four teams." Bogo said to the gathered officers. "First team will be formed by Delgato, McHorn, myself and Fangmeyer." He said, looking at the lion, rhino, and tiger who all nodded back at him. "We will cover the front entrance, with the high-caliber tranquilizer rifles and we'll make sure to get the ones who are inside."

His eyes already turned to the other animals in the room. "Second team will be formed by Hopps, Fanghanel, Rhinowitz, and Catano. You will be covering the back exit, and be sure to apprehend anyone who tries to leave by the back, we need to make sure that the ones who are present will not leave, especially the mammals who are organizing these events."

Judy and Elliot both nodded, as well as the female cheetah and the rhino near them. Bogo continued.

"The third team will deal with intelligence and surveillance, and it will be formed by Meerkovitz, Gatz, and Felidin. You will be around the warehouse in strategical points armed with dart rifles, and you will dart those who try to sneak out, and you will also cover the two main teams as we do the busting. Think you can do that?"

"Count on us, Chief." Meerkovitz said, as he stood by the side of the other two officers, a domestic angora cat, and a tall leopard.

Bogo nodded, and he returned to the planning. "Finally, the last team will be on the inside. It will be composed by Wolfard and Wilde." He looked at the two officers, the timber wolf, and the sly fox. "You will be on the inside of the warehouse undercover and you will be monitoring the thing from inside and be reporting back at us so we can coordinate the bust."

"So, I guess we can see our dear Wolfard back into his freakishly realistic sheep costume again, right?" Nick added, and there was a brief chuckling in the room before Bogo continued.

"Attention, attention! All of you!" There was a silence in the room, as everyone looked at the cape buffalo. "This is a high-profile case, and while it might not be the first busting many of you are making, it might be the first you have to make into a very short notice. It might be dangerous, and we are not sure what we are going to be facing. We need to focus and plan this right because I'm not going to lose officers because of a failure in planning!" The buffalo said, and it was enough to stop any future jokes or snide remarks, as they continued to plan.

The briefing went for most of the morning and a part of the afternoon, as the codes to be used on radio, the precise approach to the warehouse, and everything else was planned in advance. All that was left was to prepare the equipment and to get ready for the "main event of the night", as Wilde had put it.

Speaking of Wilde, he was currently in the locker rooms, and he was dressing out of his police uniform. After all, tonight he was going to go into an undercover operation, and he needed to be a common fox, not a cop. Unlike his "dancing partner for the night", Nick would not be needing some fancy and very elaborate costume or disguise, he just needed to be out of his cop clothes.

Nick was somewhat famous as Zootopia's first fox cop, but still, he discovered soon that he didn't need disguises when he was going undercover. Many mammals still don't really believe that a fox can be a cop, and it wasn't a few times in which Nick got his uniform mistaken by a costume The idea of a fox becoming a cop was considered against common sense, and so, most mammals didn't think that the fox before them could be an undercover cop. It just was ludicrous to some.

Nick was quick to learn how to use that in his favor. Of course, this would not be effective against the ones who already knew him and knew that his change of professions was for real. These guys would not be fooled, and Nick hoped he would not see any of them on there tonight.

As the fox changed from clothes, another mammal was next to him, using the lower locker that was right on the side of his own. It was Meerkovitz. The meerkat was 1'8'' foot tall, shorter than Judy, and he was quite slender. The fur on his body was of a sand-like brown coloration, with black stripes on his back and on his arms and legs (Nick could see because he was changing clothes as well), with a black snout and a pair of brown eyes. Nick could see that the meerkat looked somewhat nervous, by the way that he was moving, and the look in his eyes. Nick looked at him for a few moments, before saying:

"Yoh, Watcher."

The meerkat almost jumped into a fighting position, looking surprised at the much bigger fox. Nick looked back at him. "Dude, some hours until the mission actually starts, and you are already all edgy?"

Meerkovitz looked at him for a few moments, before he sighed and relaxed.

"Yeah… kind of…"

"So... nervous?" Nick asked as he continued to fumble on his own locker, looking for a change of civilian clothes, the meerkat soon was following suit, but looking for something else.

"Yeah… kind of… actually, more like… _freaked out_." The smaller predator admitted, and Nick looked at him. "I mean, up until now, I have only worked as a traffic guard. I'm good at it, and I was actually satisfied doing that. This is my first time taking part in something that big. I'm really nervous I'll blow it."

"Try not to think about it too much." Nick said.

"I have to think of it!" the meerkat answered. "I'll be on official sentry duty! I'll be covering everyone! What if some guy sneaks out of my sight? What if someone sneaks on another officer and I miss it, and someone ends up in the hospital because I didn't do my job right? Oh, Great Savannahs, what if my finger slips and I end up darting one of the guys by mistake?"

"Hey, hey, hey." Nick said, "Calm down. Deep breaths."

The meerkat did as Nick told him, taking deep breaths, as he tried to calm himself down. Nick helped him a little bit, and after a few moments, the meerkat seemed to have calmed down.

"Just relax, dude." Nick said to him, "Bogo picked you among the officers himself, and he wouldn't have made that if he thought you'd screw this up. You did had good grades in your classes, right?"

"Yeah…" The smaller mammal said, "I had very good scores on my classes, especially on the shooting practices."

"And you are worried that you will miss a shot?" Nick asked.

"I never actually used a weapon in service." The meerkat admitted. "And, I kind of hoped I never would have to. I don't really like guns, even the dart ones."

"Yeah, many mammals don't." Nick admitted. Lethal guns had gone through a lot of legislation in the past decades. Nowadays, only the police, the national organizations and the military are allowed to have them, and even the police and national security prefer to use the non-lethal guns in favor of the lethal ones if they can help it (even though some conspiracy-theorists out there seemed to think otherwise). Many mammals out there actually started campaigns to abolish lethal guns completely, while others were protesting for them to come back in circulation for everyone. Nick was among the ones who were fine with things the way they were, he still didn't had to use a lethal gun in his one-and-a-half year time in the force, and he hoped to keep it for a while longer before he had to, even though he knew that, as a cop, sooner or later he would _have_ to use lethal force.

This situation did not involve lethal force, but it still involved dart guns and danger, and that was a responsibility for itself. It was clearly leaving the meerkat nervous.

Nick looked at him for a while, and he said:

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Nick said, and the meerkat continued to look down. "I mean, you will basically have to be a sentry for this, and you surely are not made for that."

"Yeah, I… wait, what?" The meerkat said, looking up at the fox, his ears perking.

"Yeah, I mean, this thing of being a sentry is something that some mammals are not made for." Nick continued, and the meerkat now was looking at him.

"Not made… I am a meerkat!" Meerkovitz said. Like a meerkat, being a sentry was part of his culture and nature.

"Yeah, you are." Nick said, "But just like some wolves are worse sniffers than others, I guess some meerkats are worse sentries than others."

"Worse…" the smaller mammal said, and his eyes were narrowing as he looked at the fox, who continued talking.

"Yeah, I guess you must not be a good sentry. You should go to the Chief and tell him that you're a meerkat who was just not made to be a sentry and that maybe he should put one of the rhinos in your place."

"Wha- You… You!" Meerkovitz was almost fuming now, and he looked at the fox who looked down at him with that smug smile. "I am Jeremy Meerkovitz! My father is Julien Meerkovitz! He won the title of Great Sentry in our hometown twelve years in a row! I won it three times after he retired and before I moved to Zootopia!" The small animal's voice was becoming louder. "I am a good sentry!"

"So, you saying you would do a good job as our sentry for tonight's mission?"

"Of course I can be a good sentry for tonight's mission!" The meerkat nearly shouted, and that did attract a few looks from some animals around. Nick only continued to smile at him, a smug, but friendly smile.

"Then you have no reason to be so worried about messing this up, right?"

The meerkat looked at the fox and blinked. He was a bit confused and took a few moments to notice what had happened. What the fox had done.

"Y-you…" the meerkat looked at him, and the fox only continued to smile at him as he finished dressing. Nick was wearing a purple t-shirt with brown social pants.

"See ya tonight, Watcher." Nick said as he started to walk away, and Meerkovitz was still a bit dumbfounded at what had just happened. He could only look at the fox as he walked away, and slowly, a smile formed in the smaller animal's muzzle.

He had just seen that some of the rumors he had heard about Wilde were the truth. And they were only good things that he heard about the tod.

* * *

Judy was with Catano in the female locker room. The female cheetah stood on 5'4'' feet tall, easily towering over the much smaller bunny. Her body is slender and graceful as one expects from a cheetah's. The fur on her body was of a light yellow, with a softer shade on her muzzle and down her neck and chest, with black spots all over herself. Her eyes were colored like honey. She currently was wearing only shorts and a ZPD tank top, just like Judy, as they were changing from their regular clothing to something that would be more fitting for the night. They both wore protective vests during the day, however, tonight they were changing to a more heavy vest, which was able to better block bullets. It was a protective measure, in case someone who was in there would be armed. Also, they would be wearing darker clothes, to help them blend better and remain unseen during the mission, in which they would approach subtly.

"I have always wanted to use one of these, you know?" The big cheetah said to the smaller mammal by her side. Judy looked up at her as she held the uniform of a darker, almost black shade of blue. "These dark colors really make my eyes pop. Too bad I'm gonna be pointing my dart gun at others, and they won't have time to actually see me before I dart them unconscious."

"Yeah, I guess so." Judy said. "I bet you look really good in this."

"Just wait until you see me." Catano said. "I'll look like a dashing nightwalker."

Judy chuckled, and someone near said:

"Yeah, I bet you do."

Elise Fangmeyer came to them. The tigress was big and strong, standing on 8'7'' feet tall, with a strong and muscular built. Judy had to admit, with a certain shame, when she first arrived at the ZPD, she thought that Fangmeyer was a male. The tigress was colored like any other tiger, with orange fur and black stripes, and white muzzle and down her neck and chest. Her eyes are on a dark-gold coloration, and they have some eyeshadow, something that accentuated her feminine nature. She was wearing the same as the other two, black sports shorts and ZPD tank top, and they made it clear that she was rather flat on the chest, much like the other girls.

"So, both of you ready to bust some illegal business?" The tigress asked the two girls. "Because I am more than ready."

"I'm ready." Catano said, and they both looked at Judy. The bunny looked to be thinking about something.

"What? Is the great Judy Hopps is nervous?" One of the girls asked, and this caused Judy to look up at them.

"What? No! I mean… yes… kinda. But, not because of me." Judy admitted. The two felines shared a look, and they seemed to know what this was about.

"You are worried about your partner, right?" Catano asked, and Judy nodded.

"Yeah… I mean, I know that Nick can take care of himself. I know that he has been undercover a few times already… But, he still is my partner and my friend. I worry that something might happen to him if something goes wrong." The bunny admitted.

"Well, it is perfectly normal." Fangmeyer said, "After all, all missions have a danger element, especially if you are undercover." There was no point in sugar-coating the truth, and she also knew that it would not be nice to do that with her fellow officer. "Still, Wilde has proven many times that he is one hell of a sly fox. I can't count the number of times that I heard that he talked his way out of some situation."

"That tod can sure take care of himself. He is smart. He proved he is good at dealing with others, and he is already considered one of the best officers of First Pricy after he has been here for just one year." Catano said to the smaller animal. "Besides, you must know better than anyone how good he is since he is your partner."

Judy looked up at them, and she had to admit that they both had a point. Ever since he joined the ZPD, Nick proved time and time again how much of a good cop he was. Even before that, he graduated in the academy with top grades of his class, just like she did before him. Nick had street smarts, he had the cunning, he knew how to think outside of the box, he was very good at dealing with others, and he knew very well how to take care of himself.

"Yeah, I guess you two are right." She admitted to them, causing them to smile back at her, and soon, they were back to getting dressed, Judy as well, trying to reassure herself based in all that was just said.

Still, Judy could not help but be worried about the safety of the mammal who was so close to her, and who would be walking inside a place that would be full of potentially dangerous individuals. The very thought of Nick getting seriously injured, or worse, was just something that she didn't like to think about, even though she knew that, in their line of job, it was a very real possibility.

Judy soon was suited up along with the other two females. Dark clothing, including a heavy body-armor that was reserved for elite missions. Complete with the special, high-reach dart guns, with darts filled with a very strong tranquilizer that would probably bring down anyone who was hit, from a mouse to an elephant. The tranquilizer was of a burn rate equivalent to metabolism, as well, so it was safe to use in animals of any size.

Soon, they were ready, and some of the animals were gathered, as the last details of the mission were discussed among them.

"So, you two go ahead and enter the building as if you were just two of these mammals who enjoy seeing this kind of thing." Bogo said to Nick and Wolfard. Nick was wearing the same civilian clothing that he wore in the lockerooms. Wolfard was on his sheep costume, the head pulled out, leaving his real wolf head on the outside. "You both had communicators hidden on your ears and on the lapel of your shirts, keep us in touch of all that happens in there, including the number of mammals inside and if any of them have heavy weapons. The last thing we need is to be surprised when doing this."

"You can count on us, Chief." Nick said to the boss with his usual sly smile, and the buffalo only nodded back at him.

"I really hope so." The buffalo said, "Mayor Amur has tasked me personally into seeing that these illegal fights would end, and she was insistent that should be no casualties. I don't want to let her down." with that said, Bogo was walking away, leaving behind some of his officers. Nick was about to get into the car with Wolfard when something grabbed his wrist.

He looked over to see his bunny partner, looking back at him with her amethyst eyes. "You be careful, okay?"

Nick looked at her for a few moments, and he smiled at her, smug as always, and he said, "Don't worry Carrots. I'm a top officer of the ZPD, former master scammer, and also if you didn't noticed…" Nick pulled the sleeve of his shirt and showed some muscle on his arm. "I'm not as pencil-necked as I was one year-and-a-half ago, courtesy of all the exercise."

Judy looked at him, seeing his confident attitude reassured her, and she smiled back at him. Her gaze then turned to Wolfard, who was half-way into closing his costume, and he looked back at the purple eyes of the bunny. "And you, make sure to cover my partner."

The wolf nodded, and Nick, who was seeing that, turned his gaze to the wolf and cheetah that were near. "The same goes for you two. Take good care of my partner."

"Count on us." Officer Catano said.

"Don't worry, Nick, we won't let your missus get hurt." Officer Fanghanel said, winking at Nick in what seemed a conspiratory way when he said "missus". This granted all the mammals in there to look at him.

"…okay." Nick said, and he started to climb into the car. "See you later, Carrots. We'll go to our favorite bar to celebrate when this is over."

Judy looked at him, as she was snap out of the strange situation that Fanghanel's words created, and she was able to smile back at him, and she said, "We sure will."

With that, Nick closed the door, and soon they were driving away.

Judy remained in place, seeing as the car drove, wishing that she could follow them to be sure that they would arrive in there okay. She felt a paw landing in her shoulder, and she looked up to see Catano over her, with a reassuring smile.

"We gotta get our weapons ready." She said simply. She didn't say anything else, and actually, there was no need to say anything else in this situation. Judy looked up at her and nodded, and soon, she was moving ahead, with the two bigger mammals following her from behind.

"So… did you really needed to say that back then?" Catano whispered to Fanghanel, who was right by her side. The wolf looked at her a bit confused, and she said. "The 'missus' thing?"

"What?" Fanghanel said to her, still not quite getting it. "I was just reassuring Nick that we would take care of his bunny. That is what friends do for another friend, right?" He was speaking as if it was something common and obvious. "Besides, I want to make sure that they will call _me_ to be the best mammal in their wedding." He added the last part with a smile and his tail wagging.

Catano only looked at him, before rolling her eyes and just saying nothing more.

* * *

Making busts was complicated.

Going undercover was complicated.

Nick knew all of that from his experience in the force. From what they taught him in the Academy, from the stories he heard from his fellow officers and from his own personal experiences as a cop. Now, they were going to be undercover cops during a busting operation, so, it was only natural to think that the level of complication would reach another high.

They were to go in there as two mammals who enjoyed seeing two guys killing each other, and to be in the middle of the crowd of many other blood-thirsty mammals while they watched the two crazy dudes kill each other in a ring. That was just dandy.

The goal was to be in there to give important information to the rest of the team when the time came, and for that, they needed to make sure that no one in there would even suspect that they were cops, because otherwise, the whole operation would be at risk. Not to mention that something really bad could happen to them both…

So, as part of this, they had to go in without anything that would give away their identity. Not only that, but they could not be seen arriving with anyone who was a cop, or with any police car, hence why they were going ahead of everyone, in an old and run-down car with an awful beige color. So they could arrive in there ahead of the time and to give the tickets so they could get in and blend in the crowd. That was essential to their operation, and both Nick and Wolfard knew that well, and they knew that screwing up was not an option. Nick really wanted to celebrate with his partner in their favorite bar, instead of spending the days in the hospital recovering from being step on by some thug.

It took them some time, but they did arrive at the location. Zootopia was a coastal city, and as so, it was only natural for it to have ports. Sahara Square, in particular, had some of the most famous ports of the city, and others not so famous. Pier Nile Mouth was one of these coastal ports, a pier (as you probably guessed) that used to serve as a place for storing material that came from the nearby port, in one of the many warehouses that were in there. However, the company that used the warehouses went bankrupt, and as a result, the place was abandoned.

However, someone found a way to make it not be so abandoned anymore. Places like that were very attractive to these who wanted them for "less noble activities", as the illegal fighting ring seemed to.

They were already moving close to the pier, and the warehouses were visible. They parked into the street, and as they got out of the car, Nick checked on his watch.

19:23

"We are kinda early, aren't we?" Nick asked the "sheep" as he locked the doors and activated the alarm of the car.

"The fight will only start around 20:00, or at least that is what the ticket said."

"We need to secure the perimeter from the inside." Wolfard said, the freakishly realistic sheep jaw moving per his own jaw in the inside of the costume. "Besides, Slimy Tusks himself told me to be here early, before everyone would come crowding the place. Apparently, there is some kind of 'special theme' for tonight's fight."

Nick stopped and looked at him. That was a piece of information that had not been shared earlier. "What kind of 'theme'?"

The "sheep" shrugged. "Cage fight? Fighting in the mud? I don't know, I didn't ask that."

"Dude, you should have asked!" Nick said to him, "And you should also have told us about this 'special theme' earlier!"

The disguised mammal stopped and thought a little bit. "You think?"

"Yes, I think." Nick said, a little exasperated. He stopped for a moment, and he had a look of horror on his face. "Oh no…"

"Huh, what, what was it?" Wolfard said, now getting really worried about that, even more with the look in the fox's face. Nick rose his head, still looking horrified, and he said:

"I just spoke like the Chief…"

You could not see through the sheep mask, but Wolfard blinked as he looked at the fox, and he was now fighting the urge to slap his own face.

* * *

"They must be there now, right?" McHorn asked Bogo, and the buffalo just looked at his watch, seeing the time.

"Yeah, most likely." The buffalo said, and he turned to the other animals around him, all gathered, geared and armed. All of them were ready for the action, and all of them were competent, or so Bogo believed them to be.

"Okay, we will be parting in fifteen minutes, if anyone has a question or a commentary to make, now is the time." Bogo looked at each present officer, and he saw looks of determination in each one of them. These were the looks of confident officers, who were ready to uphold their duty and their oath of serve and protect. From the biggest rhino to the small meerkat holding the surprisingly big snipper riffle.

Just by looking at them, Bogo knew:

They were all ready.

* * *

The fox and "sheep" were walking across the Pier Nile Mouth, and they were passing by the warehouses, each one was rather big, once they used to serve to store containers coming from ships.

"When we get there, remember." Wolfard said. "I am Ezekiel Wooliver and you are Jake Russet."

Nick grimaced just a little bit. "A fox named 'Russet', now that is quite cliché."

As they passed by the warehouse that had a big 11 painted on the side, they were not seeing another warehouse that had the number 12 in it. In front of it, leaning against the metal door as he was just minding his own business, smoking a cigarette, was a burly rhino. He stood on nearly nine feet tall, with a body that showed that he went to the gym nearly every day. Hs was wearing a heavy undercoat, but it still didn't hide his muscled frame. The skin on his head was of a dull grey coloration, and his horn was broken. His yellow eyes were focused on the newspaper that he was reading, and he seemed to be just another guy going around and doing nothing. That was how he was supposed to look to anyone who saw him, but those who knew that something was going on that warehouse that night would know better.

As it was the case of the two animals coming.

"Hey, dude." Wolfard said, making the rhino lazily look up from his newspaper to him. He straightened himself just a little bit and looked at him before he realized the fox coming by his side. "We are here for the event." The disguised wolf said, pulling out the tickets and handling them to the rhino. The animal looked at the tickets, them at the rhino. The next moment, the rhino's eyes focused on the fox.

For a moment, both Wolfard and Nick held their breath. _"Oh crap, does he knows Nick?"_

After a few moments, the rhino started to stretch his neck, as if to see above the sheep's shoulders. Wolfard even looked above his shoulder, as if to look at what the rhino was looking for.

"So, you coming in with the fox?" The rhino finally asked, causing the "sheep" to look back at him.

"What, do you owned him a favor, or something?"

Relief came over the two animals, as it seems that the rhino just had assumed that it was strange for a fox and a sheep to come to a place together.

"Well, I kind of own this fox some favors." The disguised mammal said, and it was not really a lie, "But other than that, Jake here is a good friend of mine. I invited him to come to watch it with me."

The rhino looked at him for a few moments.

"You _invited _him to come with you? Seriously?" the rhino said.

"Yes, I did. We are good friends. Why?" the wolf disguised as a sheep said, "Do you have a problem with this?"

The rhino shrugged. "Well, _I_ don't have a problem, but the guys who will be inside tonight..."

The two mammals shared a look among themselves, as neither of them quite liked the way that the rhino had said that.

"W-what do you mean by that?" The disguised wolf said, and the rhino looked back at the sheep face that was the mask Wolfard used.

"You know that tonight's fight has a theme, right?"

"What does this have to do with it?" The "sheep" asked. The rhino looked back at him for a few moments, before he reached out and took the two tickets from his "hooves".

"Enjoy the fight, you two." He said, starting to open the door at the gate. "And a word of advice: if you two want to leave this place whole, you better not go saying to the others that you two are friends. They might not like it."

The two mammals once more shared a look, and they walked inside, as the rhino soon was closing the door behind them. The inside of the warehouse was somewhat what you would expect: run down and broken at some points, with rusted walls, and run-down paint on the walls. The place was big: enough for them to put something inside that looked like an actual fighting ring, surrounded by a big metal cage. However, the place was not as bad as one would expect from an abandoned place, as it seemed that the same mammals who put the fighting ring in there decided to clean up the place to make it more presentable. Two stands were put in place to serve food, each one at opposite ends of the warehouse, and both of them with some tables for mammals to stop and eat. However, the two animals noticed, as soon as they come in, that it seemed that the place had been divided in two, for not only the food stands were on opposite sides of the warehouse, but it seemed that someone had put a makeshift barbed-wire fence between the two sides. The fence did not go over the ring, but they divided the place where the audience was supposed to stay.

The two animals looked at this as they walked inside.

"An interesting interior… I would like to know their decorator." Nick said, and soon, someone came to see them. It was a big grizzly bear, standing on 8'4'' feet tall, with a stocky body. The fur on his body was of a deep brown coloration. He was wearing some clothing that was nice for a night in town, with a nice black shirt and a pair of long jeans pants. He looked like he was ready for a party in a friend's party, not some illegal fight to the death in an abandoned warehouse. His hazelnut eyes focused on the two animals as they came in.

"Welcome, my friends." He said, "I'm Kyle, and I'm one of the organizers of these events. Good to see the two new faces in here." He said, in a rather bright way, and the two animals shared a look at the sympathetic bear before Wolfard spoke:

"Huhhh, okay? I'm Ezekiel, nice to meet you. I have to say, you do make a good job here."

The bear blinked and looked at him. For a moment, Wolfard thought that he had said something wrong. He had just tried to be as friendly as possible, but it seemed that he had said something that the bear either didn't liked or didn't expected.

"T-this is my friend Jake." The disguised mammal said, gesturing to the fox. "He got really interested when I told him about the fights, so I bought him tickets for us to watch it together."

The bear blinked again, looking between the fox and sheep. "Your friend… I see…" The bear said slowly, and for a moment the two animals were apprehensive that they had raised suspicion, but they relaxed as soon as the bear opened another friendly smile. "Well, it is always good to see some new faces around here. Well, we have snacks on view, popcorn, and also bathrooms in the back of the warehouse." He said with a smile, and then he gestured. "You can go there. You, my smaller friend, will go on that side." He said, gesturing to the left for Wolfard and right for Nick.

"What, we can't stay on the same side?" Nick asked, and the bear shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no. Not tonight, at least."

The two mammals were not really expecting this. If they got separated, it would become harder to cover each other's backs.

"You sure? I mean, we are great friends and all." Wolfard said, "Maybe we could just be together in a corner…"

"It is for both your safeties." The bear cut him, insisting. "Believe me, you don't want to be together on the same side tonight." The way the bear said made the two animals somewhat worried, and they shared a look. Soon, they both were complying with the bear, with the disguised wolf going to one side, while Nick was guided to the other.

Nick was getting increasingly worried about what was happening in there. It was not because now he was actually in the place where the criminal action was going to happen, that was hardly something new to him. It was also not only because he and Wolfard were now being separated, what would make the mission somewhat more difficult, as they would have problems to keep on touch or even to see each other, what could make difficult for them to support each other in the case of something went wrong. The main reason why Nick was getting so worried right now, was because with all that was happening now, the strange looks of the animals that had received them, the wired fence in the middle of the warehouse separating the two sides, and the way that he and the other animal had been separated like that…

All of that was giving him a certain clue of what was the "theme" of tonight's fight.

And it made him severely nervous.

* * *

Judy and the rest of the ZPD had split up into three black vans without windows and without anything that would give away that they were from the ZPD. After all, they had to arrive there without raising suspicions.

Judy was on the back of her own van, with both Catano and Fanghanel, as Rhinowitz was driving the van, and the three animals remained mostly in silence during the way. Well, save for Fanghanel.

"Do you guys believe that this is the first time I'm doing a busting?" The wolf said, sounding somewhat excited. "Do you think they will be armed? I mean, I hope they are not armed, but they might be, in this case, we must be really careful. But still, this is so cool! I mean, scary, obviously, but so cool! I can't wait to go back home and tell Pumpkin about this!"

"You have been talking non-stop ever since we left the Precinct." Catano said, looking at the wolf. "First, you need to focus, and second, you cannot tell someone about this because it would compromise the case."

"Oh, I know, Kii." The wolf said, referring to Catano by her first name. "But still, this is my first busting! And I cannot keep secrets from my Pumpkin! I tell her about everything that goes to the police station! It makes her worried when I do dangerous things, but she also gets so happy when I tell her about some perp we caught!"

"Eliot!" Kii said, "You cannot go telling your wife about everything! It compromises investigations!"

"I know, I know!" Eliot Fanghanel said apologetically, "But I cannot help it, she is my Pumpkin, the love of my life, I cannot keep secrets from her!"

Judy looked at the two of them, and she decided to intervene.

"Okay, okay, you two!" She said, calling the attention of the two bigger animals. "We are about to go on a mission, and we need to focus to do our work right." She turned to the cheetah first. "Kii, you are one of the best shooters of the ZPD, and you are specialized in catching someone who is running away, tonight, you need to make sure that we get as much of these dangerous animals as possible." The cheetah looked at her and nodded. Judy turned her head at the wolf. "Eliot, tonight you are to cover both of us, you will give us support and make sure that we are not in danger."

"Got it!" Eliot said, making a salute. "I'm gonna keep the promise I made for Nick! I'll protect the one mammal that he cares about the most in the world!"

Judy looked at him for a few moments, hoping that the blush forming on her ears was not visible. She then said, "Also, I know that you love your wife and that you want to share everything in your life with her, but this is an ongoing investigation, and sharing too much information with her could jeopardize it, so just for now you will have to keep from sharing this with her. Got it?"

Eliot deflated slightly when he heard that. "Oh… okay." He seemed down for a few moments, before saying. "But as soon as the investigation is finished I'm going to share everything with her!" He said excitedly once again, "She will be so happy for knowing that I have helped bring down some dangerous guys and make the city safer for her! I bet this will make her smile! Her smile is so pretty! I have a picture of her on my phone where she is smiling, have I showed you?"

"Yes, Eliot, you have." Judy said, "You have shown pretty much everyone in Precinct one a picture of your wife." She said, remembering when, just on his first day in the force, Eliot practically interrupted the Chief's distribution of assignments to show every one of his wife, a female thylacine named Chloe, "Pumpkin", as Eliot called her.

"I really hope that you and Nick come to visit us sometime!" Eliot said, "I just can't wait to introduce you to Chloe, I bet you two would be the best of friends!"

Before Judy or Kii could answer, the radios on their helmets buzzed, and the voice of Chief Bogo came into their ears.

"_Attention, all teams, this is Alpha 1, we will be arriving at Pier Nile Mouth shortly. Be ready._"

That was all that was said before the radio buzzed out, and that was all that was needed to be said, as Judy started to check her weapon for the last time.

"You heard the Chief, be ready," Judy said, and the two predators also checked on their equipment.

"I don't get why _they_ are Alpha 1." Eliot said, "I mean, their team won't have any wolf…"

* * *

Nick found himself sitting in the tables near the food stand. "Tables" was actually a way of speaking, since they varied from plastic chairs and tables to some crates that were organized to work as tables. The food there was cheap, but Nick only ordered a coffee. If you could call that cheap sludge, worse than the one that they served in First Pricy, of coffee. But Nick has already had far worse in his life.

As Nick sat in there, sipping from the plastic cup where they gave him that coffee, as he kept his eyes around.

It had been fifteen minutes since they arrived, and while the first five were very quiet, with only a few mammals here and there, soon that changed as more mammals appeared into the place.

Nick would occasionally look at the "entrance" to see more mammals arriving in intervals, all of them being received by Kyle, and while some were very friendly to him, certain other mammals were quite aggressive. Still, all of them were received with a friendly smile, and they were directed by a specific side of the warehouse.

Nick looked around to see the animals that were on his side. He could see wolves, leopards, some foxes like himself, a few weasels, two hyenas in a corner. Nick's suspicions were getting stronger, and he was not liking it at all. Normally the fox liked the feeling of being right, but this was one of the reasons where he truly hopes he was wrong, because if what he was thinking of the theme of tonight's fright was…

Something buzzed.

Nick flinched slightly, but luckily no one noticed, and the ones who did it didn't pay him any attention. Suddenly after the buzzing, he heard a familiar voice.

"_Alpha 1 to Orange and Apple. Do you copy?_" The familiar voice came through the radio, and Nick smiled to himself.

The fox took the lapel of his shirt, taking it to as close to his muzzle as possible, and he pressed a hidden button that had in it before he whispered. "This is Apple. Apple here. Do you copy, Alpha 1?"

Apple, red just like his fur. It was Nick's idea, and he had thrown it in the reunion as a joke, and he was rather surprised when the Chief accepted it.

"We are doing this all in a hurry, so we will go with this. You are the one who will have this nickname, so I don't care." Was the buffalo's answer.

Soon, the same voice who said that earlier that day, was speaking in Nick's ear: "_Alpha 1 here, Apple. Is Orange with you?_"

"We got separated as soon as we came in, they divided the warehouse into two sides and they send some mammals to one side and some to another." Nick said as he looked around.

"_Orange, here is Alpha 1, do you copy?"_ Chief Bogo called again, and after two seconds, Wolfard's voice was coming through the radio.

"_I get why _he_ is 'Apple', but why on Zootopia am I 'Orange'?_"

"Because we need to keep on the fruit theme, to avoid calling attention." Nick said casually, as he took another sip of his coffee, doing his best to see natural in that closed environment. Two nearby weasels were not arguing about one of them trying to steal from the other's pocket.

"_Okay, next undercover operation, I choose the codenames._" Wolfard said, and Bogo's voice soon cut it.

"_Apple, Orange, stop it now! Focus on the mission, and nothing more._"

"_Yes, Alpha 1, sorry._"

"Okie Dokie, turning on the serious station." Nick said, and he knew that others understood that it means that he would be serious from now on. Soon, the Chief's voice came again through the radio.

"_So, do you have visual on the place? Can you tell the number of individuals?_"

Nick looked around at this, and after a quick mental count, he said to his lapel. "I see around forty animals on my side."

"_On this side, there are over sixty._" Wolfard said.

"So, it is a party for around a hundred. Not too small." Nick said, trying his best to look natural to anyone who was looking, not wanting to have to explain to anyone why he was talking to his lapel.

"_Are they hostile?_" The chief asked through the radio.

"Some of them are fighting." Nick said, looking at the two weasels that now were rolling into the ground, trying to claw and bite at each other. "But, not more than the actual crowd that gathers before a sports event. Seriously, I've seen worse in the baseball games."

"_Yeah, the guys in this end don't seem particularly aggressive, despite them all being a bunch of speciest pricks._" Wolfard said.

Nick tensed just a little bit when he heard that.

"_Understood. You two hold tight in there. Keep an eye and inform us of any change on what is going on in there. Alpha 1 out._"

Nick heard as the Chief buzzed out of the station, and after a few moments, he picked his radio again, but this time, he talked only with Wolfard.

"Hey, Orange, you there, buddy?"

"_Yeah, Apple, I'm here, and just wait until we are together on the next undercover mission to see what codename I'll give you._"

"The guys on your end are really speciest?" Nick asked, and he heard the mammal on the other side scoff.

"_Apple, you should hear the things they say, especially about wolves. Seriously, there was a guy who came here and said that wolves are dumb mutts who lick themselves and rump their own sisters. I almost ripped out my mask and said a few things to him._"

Nick felt the tension on his body growing somewhat.

"Orange, the animals on your side, what species are them?"

"_What?_"

"What species are them?" Nick insisted, "What animals are they, what mammals?"

"_Oh, umm, let me see… I see some rhinos, some bulls, there is a lot of sheep… some antelopes and other animals with horns … I see a few bunnies here and there. Two zebras just passed by my table…_"

"Any predators?" Nick asked. "Do you see anyone on your side who is not a prey?"

There was a silence on the line as the disguised animal seemed to be evaluated to answer the question. After a few seconds, "_No, not really… I think they sent only prey to this side._"

That was an answer that Nick was dreading to hear, for it only added more and more base to his suspicion. Wolfard was a wolf, but he was disguised in a sheep costume that could easily fool anyone, he was disguised as a prey. On the side he had been sent to, there was only prey.

Nick looked around, looking at the animals on the side to which he had been sent. He saw wolves, weasels, foxes, hyenas, big cats… Not a single animal that had horns, hooves, or flat teeth.

On Nick's side, there was not even a single prey. Only predators.

* * *

"Alpha 1 here," Bogo said, as he walked forward, and the rest of the team were following him from close. They were sneaking over the warehouse 11, and they almost had a sight of warehouse 12. Bogo was in the front, so he could see the rhino in the front of the warehouse, still smoking and readying form a newspaper.

"We have visual on the target, there is a rhino on the front, can't tell if he is armed." Bogo said, as the rhino looked on his watch, and continued to read the newspaper.

* * *

On the other side, approaching by the opposite end, the team formed by a bunny, a cheetah, a rhino and a wolf was approaching warehouse 12. Judy was the one who spoke. "This is Alpha 2, we have visual on the warehouse."

As they approached, they kept on the shadows, and they had sight of the back entrance of the warehouse. It pretty much like the front and was guarded by a burly elephant, who was looking around, looking for any signs of trouble, as he was using his trunk to pick fruit from a nearby basket and taking it to his mouth.

"I see an elephant in front of the gate, can't tell if he is armed." Judy said as the team remained on the shadows, and they were ready for action if there was the need.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the roof of the surrounding warehouses and buildings, there were some animals taking position.

Felidin, the leopard, was on the roof of a warehouse. Gatz, the domestic cat, had climbed on the top of a post and was now sitting in it. Meanwhile, Meerkovitz was on the top of an old, abandoned crane. All of these animals had special equipment, including special sniper dart guns.

Meerkovitz looked around, seeing the other two members of his specific team around, and they made silent gestures to him, and he gestured back. Right after, he was seeing on his radio: "This is Alpha 3, we are in position and we have visual."

The animals were not with their eyes into the visors of their sniper weapons, and they were keeping their sights into the warehouse and the surroundings. Meerkovitz, in particular, was able to sight both teams, as he had a very privileged position, being able to see Alpha 1 in the front and Alpha 2 in the back. Both of them approaching the warehouse, and both of them counting on him to keep watch to warm from danger.

"_Okay then._" Meerkovitz said, as he mentally steeled himself. "_Time for sentry duty._"

* * *

"Roger that." Bogo said on his radio. "Everyone stay put and stand by. We wait for the right moment to act." The buffalo spoke.

In order to make a successful bust, they need to catch all of them in the act. Bogo lost count of how many times he heard of busts that went down the drain because the lawyers of a perp were able to suggest that the cops had arrived in the place where nothing wrong was supposed to happen.

Whoever was doing that illegal fight, could very well suggest that it was merely a reunion, or maybe some clandestine bar or something of the like. They needed to be able to catch them in the act. Unfortunately, that means only acting after the fight has begun and those perps were screaming at the fighters to rip out each other's guts. It was necessary if they wanted to be sure to get these criminals to be prosecuted and serve as an example to anyone who could even think of something similar.

So, now they stood there. All three teams in position covering the warehouse. Two officers were undercover inside the place. It was now a matter of waiting.

They waited.

Waited.

Waited…

Minutes seemed to drag for an eternity, even more when they were so much in the edge.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen.

Thirty…

Some more animals appeared during that period, showing the tickets to the rhino before being allowed entrance. However, what the teams had been waiting, the signal from the inside that would allow them to go into the place and catch the criminals in the act didn't come.

Bogo was so tense that he felt like he had an elephant sitting on each shoulder. He dared to take his eye from the warehouse ns look at his watch. It was a quarter to nine p.m.

Where the hell was the signal?

His radio buzzed, and Bogo could hear a voice on the other end. "_Alpha 1, any signal from the inside?_" Asked Hopps' voice.

"Negative." Bogo said from his own end, and another voice came, this one was Gatz' "_Guess they are taking their time, right?_"

"_Shouldn't the fight have started forty-five minutes ago?_" Fanghanel's voice came, and Bogo was forced to agree with the wolf.

Of course, nothing would always be punctual, but three-quarters of an hour?

Bogo changed the line that he was using, and now used one of the two officers on the inside.

"Apple. Orange. What is going on in there? We haven't received the signal yet. Did something went wrong?"

There was a second or two of silence, and it was Wilde's voice that answered.

"_Oh, you know, Alpha 1, you know how these events sometime run late. Once I went to a show, and the singer arrived two hours late._" His voice had the same unworried tune of always. But it let out a slight tune of boredom. "_I'm in the middle of drinking my third bad coffee, and I have been counting the stains on the ground_ _and trying to figure out what they were to pass my time… The other guys in here… well, they are also not very happy that the fight is late._"

* * *

That much was truth. Nick had been hearing a while of the animals in there that they were all impatient for the fight.

"Why is it late?"

"When it will start?"

"Come on, I came here to see a fight!"

"Think they are gonna cancel it?"

"If they do I want my money back!"

"No fight!? What a bummer!"

"I was so looking forward to someone put those grazers in their place!"

Nick's ears perked.

"Yeah, agreed!"

"They are so arrogant all of the time, saying that they outnumber us!"

"About time someone put these grazers in their place!"

"If the fight doesn't happen, we can do it ourselves!"

Nick felt his stomach tightening, what he just hear among the commentaries of the animals around him seemed to be the last thing that was missing for him to be convinced that what he thought was true.

Reaching out for the hidden radio in his lapel, Nick said: "Guys, we might have _serious_ a problem."

"_Hm? What? What happened?_" Wolfard's voice came.

"_What do you mean? Apple, do you have a situation?_" Bogo's voice came, and Nick looked around, being sure that no one would be able to see him talking to the hidden radio. Luckily, all of the animals seemed to be more focused on the fact that the spectacle that they came to see was late.

"I think I just figure out what is the theme of tonight's fight." Nick said, and he quickly added, "Which _you_ should have asked about, you dumb wolf!"

"_Hey!_"

"_Theme? What are you talking about?_" The Chief's voice came from the other end, and Wolfard seemed to have become a little awkward.

"_Oh, ummm, you see, when I bought the tickets, Slimy Tusks said that tonight's fight had a theme to it._"

"_You upheld information?_" Bogo said, and even though Nick could not see his face, he had the feeling that it had a "not-amused" expression.

"_H-hey, it was just some kind of theme that he said the fight would have. I-it was not like it was that important._"

"It was." Nick said firmly in his communicator. And I just figured out what it is." He spoke.

"_Really? What it is?_" Wolfard asked.

"Think about it." Nick said, and he started to remember the things that happened since they came in. "When we appeared in the front, a 'sheep' and a fox, and told people we were friends, they looked strange of us. Then, they sent the 'sheep' to one side, and the fox into another. Little detail: the two sides are separated by a wired fence."

"_Wired fence? Are you serious?_" The voice of the Chief came across the radio.

"Deadly serious, Chief." Nick said, and he continued: "Not only that, but the side to which the 'sheep' was sent is a side that has only prey, while the side to which the fox was sent now is filled only with predators."

"_… well, maybe they just are separating them based on their diets?_" Wolfard said, and Nick fought the urge to smack his paw on his forehead. Deciding that it was better to ignore it, he continued.

"Also, as you have said it, my dear disguised friend, all the prey on your side, or at least most of them, seen to be speciest."

"_Is that correct, Orange?_"

"_Ummm, yes, sir._"

"So are some of the guys from my side, by what I heard then saying." Nick said, looking around. "Actually, not only speciest, I would say that some of them are downright supremacists."

There was a pregnant pause, before Nick heard the Chief's voice:

"_Darn it…_"

"_What? What? What happened?_" Wolfard said, and Nick sighed, as the wolf seemed to be clueless, even with all that the fox had just spoken to him about the situation.

However, before Nick had time to try to clarify the situation for the dim mammal, a loud and booming voice called his attention.

"Attention, everyone!"

Nick's eyes, along with the eyes of all of the crowd, turned to the ring that was settled in the middle of the warehouse. Standing right in the center, was a swine, and he looked to everyone as he spoke.

"We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience of the delay. We had some unpredicted problems, but it has all been solved now."

"It better be!" Someone from the crowd shouted, and there were many cries of the agreement to this voice, and the pig soon was calling for the crowd to calm down.

"I totally understand your frustration." The porcine said, after the crowd has calmed down enough. "However, I assure you that the problems have all been solved and that the fight will start soon. Meanwhile, I'd like to welcome all of you who have come here to prestige this moment and to watch this special event."

"I just came to see some grazer be gutted!" Someone on Nick's side said, and many predators agreed.

"No way, the lion is the one getting gutted! About time someone stood up and put you chompers on your place!" Someone from the other side said, and many animals seemed to agree with that. In the next moment, it seemed that both sides were shouting profanities at each other, and Nick had the feeling that the barbed-wire fence was the only thing that actually kept them apart.

"Everyone! Everyone!" The porcine said, and it took nearly a minute to calm everyone down enough for his voice to be heard. "We need to be civil in here… however, I guess I can understand your attitude… To a point."

The porcine said, looking around at the many animals into the place, before he resumed speaking:

"After all, this is not just a mere fight that we are having tonight… it is a battle for supremacy."

The crowd now remained in silence as the pig spoke. "It is a battle to determine it predators are truly the ones who remain in the top of the food chain, or if the prey can bring them down from their thrones." The pig spoke, and the crowd seemed to be getting more riled up as he spoke.

"Tonight, we will have two fighters: one representing the prey, and the other representing the predators, and these two will fight among themselves. Each one a champion of their people, and the victory of one, will mean the victory of his whole kind! Tonight, we finally settle the war between predator and prey through a one-on-one fight to the death!"

The crowd cheered at the pig's words, and Nick felt a creeping feeling of getting up from his seat and getting the hell out of that place. All the while, he repeated to himself again a thing that he had been repeating for himself now and then for quite a while since they got into that warehouse:

Wolfard _REALLY_ should have asked what was the theme…

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Eliot Fanghanel and his wife Chloe belong to Koraru-san, while Mayor Amur belongs to TheHook1, both from DeviantArt.**


	7. Unexpected Developments

_No mammal is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected._

**_~Juleo Caesar~_**

* * *

Prejudice is part of society.

There is no denying it. There is no escaping it.

It is something ugly to look at, and it is something that many want to see disappear for good, but it is something that was built over many generations and that ingrained itself in society so deeply that one cannot just remove it as if it is a piece of decoration.

Prejudice ingrains itself in society and creates roots to burrow itself in place, feeding on itself, feeding on fear and ignorance, on anger and resentment. It can be fought, of course, but it is so deep in the heart of mortals that it is just not possible to get rid of it completely.

Zootopia had been build having tolerance as its base. It was a place where all species could live together in harmony, as equals, calling each other friend. A place where the prey would live without ever having to fear being hunted, and where the predators would be able to live without having to hunt. A place where they would stand as equals in the world and discover that deep down they were not that different and that they could live in peace together, side by side.

However, to hope for prejudice to just vanish was never a realistic goal. It still existed in the society of the animals that came to live in Zootopia. It was an ugly feeling that was carried from eons of mistrust and fear, and that would not stop showing its head because of the many speeches of peace and understanding.

Hate crimes were occurrences that were not as rare as most people would like them to be. With stories of mammals who got beaten up when they were coming home from work being heard now and then, only because someone else didn't quite like them because of their species. Most of these crimes were of prey against a predator, for once the prey was in a much greater number, therefore having more representatives in society, while the predators were a considerable minority.

However, that didn't mean that the hate crimes against prey were nonexistent. There were still stories out there of predators who used their size and their nature as hunters to oppress and intimidate the prey, who were (presumably) weaker and more helpless.

There were predator supremacists, just like there were prey supremacists, the only difference being the frequency they got on the news, due to the difference in numbers in their rankings.

Still, prejudice was prejudice, and it was a part of society.

Nick had his fair experience with prejudice. Being not only a predator but a fox, a kind of predator who faced a lot of stigmas, even from other predators. He had been looked down, screamed at, insulted, even spat on in one occasion or another. Nick knew that prejudice was part of the world and that it was something that was common to both predator and prey. He had seen both kinds before, even in the same place at once.

Like in that present moment…

"About time you chompers got put in your place!"

"Oh, go chew on grass, grazer!"

The two sides, separated by the wired fence, were throwing insults at each other. On one side, the prey supremacists, calling the predators "chompers" (a derogatory term that came from decades ago, coming from the fact that predators "chomped" at others), all of them saying that they should be collared and put back into the ghettos. On the other, were the predator supremacists, being smaller in numbers, but just as ferocious, as they told the "grazers" (another derogatory term that came from the prey, the herbivores "grazing" for food) that they should recognize their place in the bottom of the food chain.

Each side had their own opinions, formed by pre-conceived notions that they probably learned from their own families, or that they developed into their own. Anyway, it was prejudice, maybe born from mere enmity, maybe born from fear, maybe born from righteous indignation (Nick thought it could be the case of some of the predators), but it was all prejudice. It was inflamed, and it was something that perfectly reflected in the theme of tonight's fight:

"Prey vs Predator, the battle for supremacy."

Nick already knew that this bust going undercover was not going to be easy, but now that he knew that the place was filled with two different supremacist mobs, the thing had escalated into another level.

Nick was worried about what would happen if any of these guys found out that he was a cop. Supremacists like that usually were involved with other kinds of illegal stuff, and they were many times criminals by default, meaning they truly disliked cops.

However, Nick's greatest worry at the moment was Wolfard. The wolf was wearing a disguise of sheep, and due to this, he was sent to the side of the prey supremacists. He was in the middle of dozens of hostile prey who was very clear that hated predators with all that they had. If any of them discovered that Wolfard was not only a cop but a disguised wolf… Nick had a small shudder as he thought of what they could do to the poor bastard.

'_Doesn't change the fact that this is his fault._' Nick thought as he was still mad at the wolf for not telling them that the fight of tonight had a "theme". He really thought that this piece of information was not important? Was he not even a little bit curious over the "theme" to ask the guy about it?

If they both go out of there in one piece, Nick was going to smack that dumb wolf on the back of his head.

A buzzing on his head snapped him out of his thoughts, and Wolfard's voice came through the earpiece he was using:

"_Uhhh, guys? We might… have a little situation here._"

"You think?" Nick asked sarcastically in the phone hidden in the lapel of his shirt.

"_Apple, Orange, what is your status?_" Bogo's voice came from the communicator, and Nick was prompt to answer:

"You nothing big, just realizing we are in the middle of a fight to 'decide the supremacy between predator and prey', with the audience for the fight being two mobs, one of predator supremacists and the other of prey supremacists. You know, the usual."

Nick could hear a curse coming from the other side of the communicator, and soon, Wolfard's voice came again:

"_Do we need to abort the mission?_"

"What, you scared, Orange?" Nick said, playfully.

"_We are not aborting anything._" Bogo said, "_We _need_ to stop these illegal fights _tonight_. This is not up to discussion._" The voice of the cape buffalo left no space for complaint or negotiation. "_You both keep where you are, take care of what you do and say, and tell us the exact moment when we start this. And, Orange…_" There was a brief pause, in which Nick could imagine the glaring of the bull on the other end of the line. "_…When this is over, we will have a talk about how to treat information in the future_."

Nick could swear that he distinctly hear the wolf in sheep disguise on the other end swallow a lump, before saying a quick "yes sir", and then the line went silent. Nick looked around, and the crowd around him seemed to be becoming more and more aggressive, as they were still throwing insults at the ones on the other side of the barbed-wire fence.

Well, to be fair, not all of them were aggressive, as some of them were still sitting on their tables, few, actually. They were sitting there, eating, drinking, and also chatting. The chats were catching Nick's attention:

"So, here hoping that the lion will win."

"You kidding? Of course, the lion will win! What chances does prey have?"

"He will put that grazer in his place, along with all of his kind."

"Yeah, why do the prey still act as if they were not born to be on the bottom of the food chain?"

Then the three mammals laughed. Nick sipped more of his coffee as he continued to sit alone. It was not the first time that Nick saw himself in the middle of a gathering of predator supremacists.

Nick never shared any of their views, of course, no mattered how many times the prey had mistreated and misjudged him, he was not willing to go so far as to label them all as inferior and plot hate crimes. Still, in the shady underbelly of Zootopia, it was possible to find guys like these, and they were among the elements that Nick wanted to avoid, but he had already run in a few of them in one or another occasion.

Nick could actually feel kind of glad for that, for he had learned how to navigate himself out of these places with little risk of angering the guys. He just needed to remain silent, sit on his corner, and if any of them came to talk to him about anything, he just sat there with his sly smile, would nod, and give an occasional "uh-huh". Nick disliked these kinds of guys, but he was smart enough not to voice his disagreement to them out loud, once he knew that guys like that not only disliked prey but also the "prey apologists", as they called those who didn't share their views.

Nick just wished that Wolfard would also do well on his end. Of course, it was the wolf's fault that they walked in there without really knowing what they would find, but he was still a good guy, and Nick knew that he was in far more danger than him. He just hoped that the wolves in there wouldn't start howling…

"Man, what a night." A voice came, making Nick turn his head. "This fight is gonna be-"

The owner of the voice stopped in mid-sentence as he looked at the fox. The coyote stood on 4'4'' feet tall, not much taller than Nick himself. The fur on his body was of a grayish-brown coloration, with a lighter shade on the underside of his muzzle and probably going down his chest and stomach. He was wearing a black hooded shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. His eyes were of a faded shade of brown, and they were wide as they looked at the fox, and Nick could see recognition and surprise in them, followed by what seemed very much to be fear.

Nick knew these emotions, and he partially shared of them. He had also recognized that coyote, and he was also surprised to see him there.

It was a coyote he had seen days ago, into a shady corner of the Downtown, talking to a tiger who was just as shady… while he was at his police uniform.

"_What is he doing here!?_" Was the thought on Nick's mind. That animal that was in there was someone who knew that the fox was a cop. Someone who could easily snitch on him and let everyone in there know who he was and if that happened… Nick would be lucky if he could get out of that place in one piece…

However, the coyote didn't look like he would snitch on him if the slightly fearful expression on his face was anything to go by. The coyote stood in there for a few moments, just looking at him, and he said:

"Uhhh… h-hi…" He said.

That was the look of someone who wanted to run away, or at least not to do or say anything stupid. Nick looked at that expression, and he decided to play along. His years in the street taught him how to hide his emotions from others behind a mask of confidence and cynicism. Nick just put that mask back on, and he gave a sly smile at the coyote.

"Hey there." Nick said, as casually as possible. The coyote looked back at him, and he cleared his throat before he spoke:

"W-well, it is a surprise… I-I would not think I would find you here… Mr. Wilde."

Nick tensed internally. This was not good. The coyote was talking too much. Nick looked at him as he remembered the meeting that he had with the canine a few days ago. It was strange and fast, and quite awkward. Most of all, it was strange, enough for Nick to want answers. If the situation was different, if he was alone with the coyote, in his police uniform, he would try and get answers from the canine. However, at the moment, Nick was undercover, and it was imperative that no one knew that he was a cop. The way the coyote acted, it would surely draw attention, and Nick could not have that at the moment. He would have to let it slide, for he would be in trouble if he didn't.

"Seriously… A-a place like that is not one where you would expect to find someone of your clan, Mr. Wilde." The coyote said again, and Nick tensed a bit more. The canine was still talking too much, Nick needed to stop him.

"Hey, hey!" Nick said in a hushed tone, making the coyote stop talking, and gestured for him to get closer. The ears of the canine were flat on his skull as he approached the smaller mammal, and Nick whispered to him:

"What is your name, dude?"

The coyote tensed a little bit, and Nick could swear that he heard a small whimper coming from him.

""C-Coyle." The coyote said back. "Hudson Coyle, of the Coyle clan. Yeah, _that_ Coyle clan. But we didn't do what they accused us!" The coyote was saying in a hushed and respectful way, but he still sounded as if he was really trying to defend himself for something. "It was just an accusation of our enemies to taint our name! We were always responsible when we were-"

"Okay, okay!" Nick said, interrupting whatever it was that the coyote was saying. "So, Hudson, I'm kind of by myself in this table, and I kind of want to be left alone for now. So, why don't you go around see if you can find someone to talk?"

"O-oh…" The coyote said, and Nick could see something in his eyes that was almost relief as if he was glad for getting away from Nick.

"Also, don't go telling people that I'm here, okay, I like my privacy." Nick added, and the coyote nodded.

"Y-yes! Of course, Mr. Wilde. I totally understand it! After all, of course, someone like you would not want to be bothered by just anyone! You know, being a Wilde and-"

"Bye, Hudson." Nick said again, between clenched teeth, and this time the coyote did whimper a little bit. He said a quick "sorry" and immediately left, so quick that Nick lost sight of him for a while. Nick was once more left alone.

That coyote was surely a figure.

The way that he acted as afraid and scared of Nick, despite being bigger than him. Well, not by much, but he was surely a small kind of canine, and that alone should be enough to make him more confident against a smaller fox. However, the way he acted with Nick, as if Nick could easily wriggle his neck if he could. Or at least as if Nick had enough influence to track him down and completely ruin his life.

Nick did not understand that, but that was for later, for he now had to focus on his mission. Still, Nick felt like he _should_ track down that coyote, to be able to ask him a few questions. It would not be that hard since he now had the coyote's name:

Hudson Coyle.

* * *

_This is bad. This is really bad._ Bogo thought as he had just informed the rest of the teams about the change in the situation.

Bogo was no strange to dealing with supremacists, both prey and predator, and the great myriad of individual subgroups that could spawn from it.

Sheep supremacists. Wolf supremacists. Horse supremacists. So on, so on.

Bogo knew from experience that these groups were all the same in their base nature, a great speech built over prejudice, fear, and hate. Dealing with them was always hard, and it was something that Bogo disliked at every moment that he was forced to. Few things could get to him more than hate speeches.

"_What do we do now?_" Judy's voice came from the other end. "_Nick is still in there!_"

"Apple will be fine." The cape buffalo said firmly at the bunny on the other end. "And so will Orange. They both know how to take care of themselves."

"_But what if these criminals find out that they are undercover?_" The bunny came again. "_What if the barbed-wired cannot keep them separated and it all becomes a mess? They could be caught in between! We need to -_"

"WE…" Bogo said, forcefully interrupting the bunny. "…need to stay in our positions and wait for the right moment. We have a plan, and we are going to stick to it. Sure, this is unexpected, but unexpected things happen all the time. We will continue and we will attack once we have the signal."

" _But chief…_"

"Is that clear, _Alpha 2_?" Bogo said, and he used the same tune that he always used when he wanted to make a clear point. He knew that Hopps understood it, and like clockwork, she replied:

"_Yes… understood, Alpha 1._"

Bogo sighed. Hopps was one hell of an officer. She proved that many times, during the Nighthowler Case and after. However, she was still far emotive sometimes, and that was something that could be good in certain situations and a problem in others, as it was proving to be in this case. She was far too worried about the safety of her partner.

Not that it was a bad thing, but if she got too emotive it would get in the way of her judgment, and that was something that Bogo could not have.

Not on there, not at that moment.

"What do we do now?" One of the officers with Bogo said, and the buffalo didn't even bother to turn around as he answered:

"Are you deaf? We stick to the plan." Bogo said, and he made it clear by his voice that it was final, and he took the silence as a confirmation that he had been understood.

Sticking to the plan was all that could be done at the moment, even if things had taken an unpredicted turn. This new development was worrisome, and Bogo _truly_ wished that he had information about this beforehand, for he maybe would have prepared with more care, and escalated other officers for the inside work, but no use worrying about that now. Now he had to have faith in his officers in the inside and hope that neither of them would do anything too much stupid to put themselves into even more trouble…

It meant hoping that Wilde would keep his mouth shut and that Wolfard would be able to hold back if some of the wolves in the place started howling…

Bogo grunted as he turned his attention back into the entrance of the warehouse, and just in time for him to see another mammal who had just arrived. It was from far, but it was possible to see that it was a tiger. The animal was wearing a black shirt and a pair of shorts, he was smoking a cigar, and he approached the rhino, who looked up to look at him.

The rhino talked to the tiger, probably asking him for his ticket. However, the tiger seemed not to have one, and they continued to talk. Bogo looked at them as the talk they were having seemed to be getting more heated. At some point, the tiger simply tried to go inside, but the rhino stopped him with a hand on his chest, and it was possible to see that the rhino was snorting.

_Oh, crap._ Bogo thought, as some fight breaking in in the entrance of the warehouse and starting off a series of events that could very well spell problem for his officers on the inside.

The tiger continued to try to push his way in, but the rhino continued to push him back. Bogo tensed as he watched this, even more, when he saw the rhino pull out a gun and point it at the tiger. Bogo gripped his own weapon unconsciously, and he seemed ready to aim and fire if there was the immediate need.

The tiger visibly tensed when the rhino pointed the gun at him, his muscles flexing and his claws unsheathing. It looked like the tiger was going to attack. However, after a few agonizing moments, the tiger seemed to relax and take a deep breath.

Bogo himself, relaxed slightly when he saw it, thinking that the tiger was going to back down and maybe leave. However, instead, the tiger continued in front of the rhino, and he reached out for his own face, taking the cigar out of his muzzle.

Bogo looked at it, seeing what the tiger was going to do next.

Unexpectedly, the tiger waved the cigar in front of the rhino's face, and after a few moments, the rhino seemed to relax. It seemed that the tiger was telling him something, and next, the rhino was lowering his weapon, and Bogo thought that he was swaying slightly. The rhino put his weapon back, and now was opening space for the tiger to walk.

The feline simply walked in, while the rhino once more resumed being on guard.

Bogo had a raised eyebrow at this, but he decided that it was just not worth worrying about it, as there was a much more serious situation going on.

Of course, the buffalo was not close enough to see the strange dazed look in the rhino's eyes…

* * *

The fight still hadn't started.

It was an entire hour late, and the fight still hasn't started, and the crowd was not happy about that.

Nick could see it clearly on the side of the predator-supremacists, as they were throwing insults and even trash on the side of the prey-supremacists, who returned it in kind. As if it was not enough, they seemed to no longer be satisfied with throwing their insults and aggression at others and had resorted to doing it to each other.

Nick saw a nearby lion nearly go into a punch fight with a wolf, and the weasels who he had seen fighting each other earlier now seemed like they truly wanted to bit each other's throats off.

The fact that they were having to wait was leaving them on the edge. Of course, the fact that the food was horrible, and that the warehouse they were in felt like an oven was surely not helping.

_Poor Wolfard, must be nearly baked to perfection inside the sheep costume._ Nick thought to himself.

As he took another sip of the water that he just bought himself (water that seemed just as dubious as the coffee), Nick once more caught himself wanting to get the hell out of there before he would be the next one caught in the aggression that was clearly building in. However, he knew that he could not, for he and Wolfard both had to remain inside and wait for the right moment when the fight would start, so they could give the signal to the other teams for the busting to start.

Of course, it would have been far better if they were to be together to give each other backup, as it was originally planned. However, due to the "theme" of tonight's fight, they have been each one sent to a side, with Nick with the predators while Wolfard, in his sheep disguise, was sent to the side of the prey. Now they were each on their own, and they needed to hope that no more unpredicted circumstances would happen to either of them…

"Hey, have you seen-" someone said, and Nick turned his head to see who it was:

It was a tiger standing on 8'6'' feet tall, with a strong build, as it was possible to see through the black shirt he was wearing, as his strong arms were clear through the sleeves. His fur was of a solid orange with black, as it was normal for tigers, with white on his under muzzle and down his neck, but the fur on his face faded from orange to nearly white. His eyes were of a greenish-yellow coloration, and they widened as Nick looked at him, as did Nick's own green eyes.

"You…" The tiger said, his eyes narrowing, just like they did days ago into that dark alley.

Nick tensed. It was bad enough that he met one of the animals that had known his real name in the place where he was trying to remain undercover. Now, as if that was not enough, he had found the second one.

Some days it seemed that the world just didn't want to help…

Nick did his best to compose himself, and he said to him, as indifferently as he could. "Sup?"

The tiger continued to look at him, his expression was definitely not a friendly one. Nick looked at him for a few moments, before he asked:

"What, do you find me attractive?"

The tiger scoffed. Nick smiled a little at him.

"Well, cannot say I blame you, I have been said that I'm a dazzling handsome fox."

The tiger looked like he wanted to maul Nick, and he probably would have if someone had not come. It was Kyle, the same bear that had greeted Nick when he first came inside the warehouse.

"Hello, hello." He said, somewhat awkwardly, as if he was nervous. "I hope I'm not interrupting, I'm just here to tell everyone that the fight will begin very soon and that I'm terribly sorry for the delay. This usually doesn't happen."

"It's fine." Nick said, and the tiger only looked at him. Kyle stopped for a moment to look at the tiger.

"I… don't remember greeting you in the entrance…"

"I arrived late." The tiger said indifferently, and the bear only looked back at him and shrugged.

"Well, anyway, I'm terribly sorry for the delay, and the fight will start soon." He said, and before leaving, he turned to Nick, and said: "Mr. Russet, hope you enjoy the fight." He approached very close and whispered. "Also, I hope that the sheep who came with you is still your friend at the end of the night."

He soon was leaving, however, the tiger was left behind, and he was now looking at the fox with a raised eyebrow. Nick looked back at him.

"Yes?" Nick asked, and the tiger continued to look at him.

"So… Russet, huh?"

"Yeah, as cliché as it sounds…" Nick said, "So, now, if you don't mind, I would like to be alone here in my table." Nick said, and he hoped that the tiger would act the same way as the coyote. However, it seemed that it was not the case, as the tiger only approached him, looking very intently at the fox.

"You sure you're not interested in me?" Nick said to him, trying to mask his growing uneasiness with humor, and the tiger scoffed once more. Nick even hoped that he was getting feed up with him and would turn around and leave, however, the tiger seemed to have other ideas, as he actually pulled one of the boxes that made the "chairs" of Nick's "table", and sat himself.

Nick tried to remain neutral, but the attitude of the tiger was not helping at all.

"So, do you have a first name, Mr. Russet?" The tiger asked, looking at Nick, and the fox could do nothing more than to keep in character.

"Jake." He said, "Nice, isn't it? My mother chose it."

"Jake Russet." The tiger said. "Jake Russet…" The tiger said, and he looked like he was trying to remember something. "I'm pretty sure I never have heard of a Jake Russet before." He finally spoke, and he looked at the fox. "This means you are either excellent or terrible."

Nick shrugged, not wanting to contradict the tiger, in the risks of blowing his cover and starting a scene.

"So, are you from a new clan?" The tiger asked, "A family that still has no ties with the Association?" He was looking intently at the fox and (Nick presumed) his reactions. "Or are you some freelancer?"

Nick was not sure what any of that meant. It was just like the alley, all over again. Still, Nick kept his cool and tried to act as if he knew everything. The fox only kept his smug expression in place and he shrugged.

"I'm many things, my friend." Nick said, to him, "Right now, I'm a fox who is in an old warehouse waiting to see two mammals beat the snot out of each other."

The tiger continued to look at him, with a raised eyebrow, and he said: "Why are you interested in that?"

"Personal reasons." Nick said, already formulating a way to talk himself out of that situation while avoiding it from escalating, and keeping himself from attracting too much attention. "Now, why are _you_ interested in that? I mean, you are also in here, aren't you?"

The tiger scoffed once more. "I have no interest in that. This is a business for the mundanes, I have much more important things to do."

"Really?" Nick said to him, "Then maybe you should not waste your time talking to a poor little fox like me in a place like this. I don't want to rob you of your precious time, you can go on, I'll take care of my business.

It was a longshot hoping that this would work, and Nick knew that. It was no surprise that the tiger did not move, and continued to stare daggers at the fox.

"Or, it is just that you are really interested in me?" Nick said, and for a moment, it actually seemed that the tiger was going to jump on him and maul him then and there. However, the big feline just scoffed.

"I have no interest in you, fox." He said with a lot of disdain. "Honestly, I couldn't care less about you, or about whatever it is that you are doing right now." He spoke, and soon, he was approaching Nick. "Either you are a member of a new clan trying to make a name for himself, or some freelancer trying to earn some money, I don't really care… but I cannot ignore the thing you have done a few days ago."

Nick looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"How often do you go around using the names of important clans?" The tiger asked, and Nick simply continued to look at him. The tiger then whispered the next part to him:

"To who else did you told that you were a Wilde?"

Nick flinched a bit. Still, he held his composure.

"You know, some are willing to go to great lengths to reach their goals. I understand that, and I can even respect some of that." The tiger spoke to him in whispers. "But, it really gets on my nerves when some smug bastard goes around using the name of an important clan like it is their own."

Nick remained silent, and let the tiger continue.

"It is quite bold, surely, but it is also cheap and very disrespectful."

"When you say it like that, it probably is." Nick said, still acting as if he knew what the tiger was talking about. "I mean, if someone went around using my name I would not like it either. What if the guy started to throw trash in the streets and take candy from small kittens, it would not be good for me."

The tiger had a deep frown on his face as he looked at the fox.

"Do you know it is also dangerous?" The tiger asked him. "That many clans would take great offense on someone impersonating them? That the Wilde is just as proud as any of these clan, if not even more, and that they would be really furious for some mangy fox like you going around saying to be one of them?"

Nick looked at him. A raised eyebrow. "Worried about me? Well, you shouldn't be. I can take care of myself." He said, hoping that he sounded confident. "I mean, it is not like the guys can be that bad. If they were people would be talking about them a lot, right?"

The tiger looked at him with an unamused expression. "I don't know if you are stupid, insane, or a little of both, but if you think you sound brave saying that, you don't. They have already made many of their enemies disappear, we are talking about powerful individuals. Making a nobody like you disappear? That would be easy for them…"

"Wow…" Nick said, "You speak like the Wildes are relatives of the boogie mammal."

"They are worse." The tiger said, leaning over to the fox. "They are the ones who know how to kill the boogie mammal. They are the ones who truly rule over this city. They, Höleh, and Bellwether."

That last part caught Nick's attention.

Had the guy really said "_Bellwether_"? The same ewe that he and Judy had busted one-and-a-half year ago? The one that was currently in jail?

And "Hole"? Who or what were they?

"If you say so… Still, it must be hard for Bellwether to 'rule the city' from jail, right?" Nick said with a smug confidence, and the tiger looked at him for a few moments, as if he was trying to figure him out. Soon, comprehension filled his face, and the tiger let out a small chuckle.

"Oh, you mean the arrest of Dawn Bellwether by the mundanes? Ha! As if that means anything at all!"

Nick perked a bit at this. "Are you saying she can have influence in things from inside the jail?"

The tiger looked at him, and he said:

"I'm saying, that jail is something that means nothing for the power that Bellwether represents in Zootopia. And if you truly understood anything about this city, you would know it."

Nick looked at the tiger for a while. His mind processing all that he had heard, trying to make sense of what the big feline had spoken to him. Nick had to give the impression that he knew what he was talking about, even though he had absolutely no idea. Still, all that he had just heard was enough to make him think.

The tiger was looking at him, and he said to the fox:

"If you already notice this is a bad idea, Russet, then stop to go around using the names of other clans. It will only bring you trouble, and honestly, it is something that gets on my nerves. Either you make fame with your own name or you fade away." The tiger said, and the fox looked at him.

"So… you came all the way here just to say that to me?" Nick asked. The tiger looked back at him. "What, do you consider me important, or something?"

"I don't care jack about you!" The tiger shot back. "I'm just here looking for someone."

"Oh." Nick said, "Would that, by any chance, be your coyote friend?"

The tiger turned back at him, looking at the fox.

"He passed by my table just a few minutes ago." Nick said, "He went in that direction."

The tiger looked at where Nick pointed, and back at the fox. He kept staring daggers at the fox, before he started to walk in direction to where Nick had pointed, leaving the fox alone.

Nick also kept his eyes on the tiger, and once the big feline was finally out of sight, Nick found himself letting out a breath he felt like he was holding ever since the tiger locked eyes with him.

Nick took his cup and took another gulp of that cheap slur "coffee" as he tried to calm himself. Once he did, he couldn't help but ask himself:

_What the heck was all of that?_

Nick remained in place for a few moments, before he went for his lapel.

"Orange, you there?"

"_Yes, I am._" Wolfard's voice answered. "_What is it, Apple? Did something happened?_"

"Yes… No… Maybe… Look, let's move closer to the fence, I think it will be better if we can both see each other."

"_… Yeah, I agree._"

* * *

Outside of the warehouse, team Alpha 2 was still waiting, and they were quite anxious.

They had been informed of the situation, as well as Alpha 3, and they were uncomfortable with the situation.

Many mammals didn't like hate groups, and the ones present were included in this. All of them were serious as they waited for the signal in the inside. Even Eliot Fanghanel, who was usually jolly most of the time, was serious like Judy had few times saw him. The wolf looked determined, just like the other two predators who were in the team.

Judy herself was growing restless. She knew that Chief Bogo was right and that they needed to stick to the plan, otherwise everything could go South faster than a flock of migrating birds. Still, knowing that her partner was currently in the middle of two hate groups that could break into a fight with each other at any given moment was making her even more nervous than she was when this was just a regular busting.

Before, there was already the suspicion that the mammals who were inside would be violent. Now, that was most certain, and the danger that a fight could break in there between the two mobs was a very real threat.

The idea of Nick being caught up between both prey and predator supremacists was something that terrified her. She felt like getting in there and dragging Nick out before things could get worse, but she knew that this was no longer an option.

Danmit! Why did Wolfard did not share that information? They could have prepared better! Judy was going to have a very serious conversation with the wolf as soon as this situation was over. If anything, she would at least join the conversation that Chief Bogo would surely have with him about the same subject.

* * *

Back inside the warehouse, the coyote, Hudson Coyle, was sneaking out of an area of the warehouse that seemed to have been modified to be separated from the rest of the place. He passed by the cords that were in place and passed by the two burly bears that seemed to be there as securities.

"Thanks, dudes." Coyle said, waving at the bears, who lazily waved back at him.

_Okay, one is done, now for the other-_

However, Coyle didn't finish this thought, for as soon as he turned around, he nearly bumped into the chest of a much bigger animal. Looking up, he saw a familiar face of a scowling tiger.

Coyle immediately stopped in place, his ears pressing flat against his head while his tail tucked between his legs.

They looked at each other for a few moments, before Coyle said:

"Zane… Dude! What a surprise seeing you here!" He said, with a fake smile. The tiger's scowl deepened. "So, did you changed your mind about coming with me?"

"You really cannot follow instructions, can you?" The tiger said. "I told you that we needed you for the ritual."

Coyle shrunk a little bit under the tiger's gaze. Still, he was able to speak his mind, even though he sounded meeker.

"W-well, the fight was postponed because the lion was not feeling well, you know since his brother died back there in Fangtropolis and all. I-I just assumed that tonight would be better."

"We would be busy _all week_." The tiger shot back. "I told you that. Boss has been asking for you, and you know how she gets when things don't go the way she wanted."

Coyle shrunk a little more. The tiger sighed.

"You're lucky I decided to cover for you, against my better judgment, I must add. If she finds out I lied to cover you, not only will she want your tail, but also my own."

The coyote instinctively took both hands to his behind, his tail tucking even more between his legs. The tiger only sighed at this, and he said:

"We are leaving. Now."

Next thing Coyle knew, he was being pulled by his arm, and just as they turned, another mammal was passing by them. It was the bear from earlier.

"Oh, sorry." The bear said as he passed by the two mammals, and walked to the two other bears who were acting as securities. He passed by both of them, ignoring their slightly blank expressions. However, while he ignored them, the tiger could not help but notice these looks as he had turned his head to see the bear going, and had a catch a glimpse in the expressions of the two bears.

His eyes widened, and he turned his head in the direction to the coyote, who looked even meeker than before, and he looked like he wanted to just disappear in thin air. The coyote gave him a meek smile, and the tiger only continued to look at him, his expression was now severe.

"Hudson." He said, his voice denoted almost what it could be considered a warning. "Please, tell me you were not stupid enough to do it… again."

The coyote opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he was trying to speak but could not find his voice under that hard gaze. Behind him, the bear was coming out of the secluded part, and right behind him, was a big lion…

* * *

Nick was able to see the disguised mammal on the other side of the fence, as they both stood as close as they could, having a good view of each other.

The animals around them were getting more and more riled up, as both sides threw insults and profanities of each other, as well as some garbage that they within paw's reach. Nick looked at the wolf disguised as sheep, and the animal looked back at him (or at least Nick supposed that he was, once these dead eyes of the sheep mask made it quite hard to determine) and they both seemed to agree that it was better for them not to lose sight of each other.

It was hard to hear over the screaming and name-calling of the two mobs, but the two animals were able to communicate with each other by subtle gestures Nick was happy that he taught some of his fellow officers the gestural language that he was used to utilizing, and he was glad that they were able to get it better than Carrots once did (she also had learned it, and could understand him better now).

'_These guys are wild, aren't they?_' Nick said through hand gestures at the wolf, who caught sight of it through the lenses of his mask.

'_Yeah, I think that soon the barbed wire won't keep them apart for long._' The wolf replied, also through gestures. '_Maybe we should call the teams now?_'

'_Getting cold feet?_' Nick asked through his gestures. '_We came this far, cannot turn around now. Besides, it is all your fault._'

The "sheep" stopped at this, and Nick was sure that he knew what expression was behind that emotionless sheep mask. '_My fault?_' Wolfard asked through gestures, and Nick nodded at him, choosing instead not to answer with gestures of any kind.

The disguised wolf would probably have pressed the question if their attention had not been called back to the main ring by the voice of the pig.

"Attention, everyone!"

All eyes turned to the ring and the pig that was standing in the middle of it, with a mic on his paw and looking around the full warehouse.

"I hope you all are still as excited about this fight as you were when you came in because it will start now!"

The crowd cheered at this, and Nick and Wolfard both traded looks as they both knew: the moment of calling their backup was coming.

"The time has come for the battle of all battles! The battle that will put an end to the generations of struggle and conflict. The battle that will finally decide the supremacy between predator and prey!"

The crowd cheered more, and Nick could hear a very familiar and distinguished sound.

The wolves were howling.

_Oh, crap._ Was the thought in Nick's mind.

* * *

Outside, the animals could hear a sound of howling. The rhino in the front looked over his shoulder, but merely shrugged and returned to reading his newspaper.

The team Alpha 1, however, was more nervous.

"Oh, no…" Bogo groaned.

* * *

On the other side, the animals of Alpha 2 stiffened slightly.

Eliot himself, who was caught off-guard, nearly started howling himself in answer to the howls but was kept quiet when Catano and Rhinowitz both stopped him. The rhino used his big hand to clamp his muzzle shut, while the cheetah put a hand covering his lips.

This seemed to be enough to make Eliot himself to snap out of it, and now he too was using both his hands to help the two keep his mouth shut.

* * *

On the advantage points upward, the animals of Alpha 3 could also hear the howling, and they knew that this was not really good.

The compulsion to howl was a deeply ingrained into a wolf's instincts, especially if it was to answer to other wolves. It was something that they could not help, and it took a lot of willpower to hold back from howling when someone else was howling.

"I hope Wolfard has strong willpower," Meerkovitz said to himself as he continued to look through the lens of his dart rifle.

* * *

Nick was nervous as he heard the howling and even more because they were continuing, and it was actually possible to hear them clearly over the uproar of the two mobs.

"Crap, the wolves started howling!"

"What did you expected? That is all they actually know how to do!"

"Yeah, stupid mutts."

The jeers of the prey supremacists would have Wolfard staring daggers at them through his sheep mask if the disguised wolf was not so focused on suppressing his own urge to howl with his peers.

The 'sheep' was stiff, his arms close to his body, and his fists clenched. It was even possible to see that the animal was trembling slightly as he tried to hold his howls inside. Nick could see it from where he was standing, and he had to recognize that it was admirable how the wolf was holding it, for he knew that it took a lot of willpower to hold in like that.

"Now!" The voice called their attention back to the center of the warehouse, and to the ring, where the pig was standing. "Let's all know the two brave fighters of tonight! On this side, representing all the prey everywhere, we have him! 1.200 lb. of muscle and fury! The former champion of the wrestling circuits! Now in here to be a hero of the prey everywhere! JASON 'KILLER HOOVES' BISANTIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

The prey supremacists all exploded in cheers, and the predators booed the animal that walked into the ring.

Bisantin was a former wrestler, and it seemed that tonight he had decided to dress the part. The 10 feet tall, very muscled Eurasian bison was dressed into a wrestling outfit, a green singlet with bracers and anklets of the same color, and a mask on his face. It did nothing to hide his horns, although it pressed the great amount of fur that he had on his head. The fur on his body was of a dark-brown coloration. The animal walked into the ring, looking at the crowd around and bellowing as loud as he could, and the crowd answered with boos and cheers. It did look like the animal was right on his element…

"And… on this side, representing the predators." The pig continued. "We have a young individual who has a lot of passion for his ideals and for his causes! 320 lb. of determination, strength, and killer instinct! The champion of predators! MATEO FERAAAAAAAAAA!"

More boos and cheers echoed into the warehouse, along with more excited howls (much to Nick's dismay and worry) for the second mammal to walk into the ring. The lion was also well-muscled, as he stood on nearly eight feet tall himself. The fur on his body was of a sand coloration, it was easy to see because the lion walked in with nothing more than worm out shorts, and it was also possible to see that he had a number of scars on his body, making others wonder that the lion truly was no strange for battles. The mane around his neck and head was thick and of a reddish-brown coloration. The lion looked around as he walked into the ring, his face was one that would make anyone think twice before getting too close to him. The lion looked around and roared, loud enough to be clearly heard above the many sounds that the two sides of the crowd were making, and enough to be heard from the outside, slightly startling the animals who were surrounding the warehouse.

Nick knew that lions could roar loud if they wanted, but most of them refrained from doing it because it was seen as rude. Still, it was not a few times when Nick had the chance to hear the roar of a lion, especially the angry ones. And what he just heard – Nick was pretty sure – was a very, VERY angry roar.

The crowd was going wild, cheering for their "champion" while jeering the other, the wolves continued to howl (causing Nick to tense up, and making Wolfard scrap out every ounce of mental resistance that he had), meanwhile, the two fighters got into position as they were getting ready to charge at each other on the right moment. Actually, it seemed that they were eager, almost itching to charge at each other. The bison would not stop grinning as he snorted and gestured at the lion, passing a hooved thumb over his own neck as a threat. The lion only snarled, his eyes widen and his chest heaving in deep breaths as he looked at the prey before him, he almost looked like he was foaming from the mouth.

"Almost time…" Nick said, and he looked at the other officer, who looked back at him and nodded. Immediately after, the howling started again in the predator mob, and the disguised cop stiffened once more, and he was actually shaking slightly.

_Oh, come on…_

"Now, both of you, you know the rules: there aren't any!" The pig said, and the two animals were panting deeply as they stared at each other. "Now, make sure to do a great fight!" The pig said, and he was rushing out of the stage.

Nick saw that from where he was standing, in between the legs of the bigger animals, and looking back at his partner, who was now barely holding it in from the howling of the other wolves.

_Crap, he won't hold it for long. We need to do this now!_

Nick quickly grabbed the lapel of his shirt and spoke to the piece in there:

"Alpha 1. Alpha 1, do you copy? Mushroom. Mushroom!"

* * *

"- _Mushroom!_"

As soon as Bogo heard the signal, he switched the channel to the one used by all the Alpha teams.

"The signal was given, start operation, now! Alpha 2 and 3, in alert now, we are going in!" Bogo said, and soon, he was gesturing to his mammals, and they soon were moving.

They came from behind the warehouse, and as they moved, Bogo immediately aimed at the rhino, who was hit by a dart on the neck, and was out before he could react. The team then moved to the entrance.

* * *

Back inside, the pig was talking in the microphone.

"Get ready…"

Wolfard was shaking, and Nick said it, and he also saw when one of the prey on his side came to him.

"Hey, dude." He said, talking to the "sheep". "Are you okay? You look…" He said, putting a hoof on the disguised mammal's shoulder.

As soon as that hoof made contact with the shoulder of the animal, the wolf could just not hold it anymore, as he threw his head back and let out a howl, joining the other wolves, and startling the animal who was trying to help him.

At the same fight, the pig on the stage said to the two: "Fight!" urging them to immediately lunging at each other.

Almost in the same moment, mammals in tactical clothing and with special guns came through the entrance, the buffalo who was leading them saying:

"ZPD, FREEZE!"

* * *

**So, this concludes yet another chapter of the story, again ending in a cliffhanger.**

**Once more, Eliot Fanghanel is an OC that belongs to Koraru-san, from DeviantArt.**

**Also, I'm planning to do more of this, adding Zootopian versions of famous quotes in the chapters. Hope you guys actually like it. I'm not even sure why…l maybe just because I feel like doing it ^^**


	8. Catching Perps

Many things happened at the same time.

Inside the ring, the battle had just started, as both bison and lion charged at each other. The bison with a mad grin on his face, while the lion roared like a mad mammal.

The lion immediately tried to claw the bison, who sidestepped and countered with a well-placed punch into the gut of the feline, who reeled back, this was the opening the lion needed to be able to land three more punched into the lion, who was now spitting out blood.

The feline growled and bared his teeth and claws, and was ready for the counter, which was so violent and sudden that the bison barely had time to react. He was only able to move his body out of the way to avoid the worse of the slashes, and the claws of the predator before him opened gashes on his clothes and on his skin (which he thanked the maker that was thick), as droplets of blood leaked down form the wounds that were just opened.

The bison grunted. The pain of the wounds was stinging, but he knew that it was far from being debilitating. Actually, the pain helped him feel more alive and was an encouragement to fight better. Also, the fact that the lion started to fight with all that he had actually gave him the excuse he needed to fight with all that he had as well. He had a grin on his face as he looked at the lion, which would almost make one think that he was high.

As the lion himself seemed to be, if the maddened look in his eyes as he growled was of any indication.

* * *

Outside of the ring, somewhere in the crowd, a sheep had just started howling, and this, of course, called some attention.

Many of the prey gave a step back from him as he howled, and some of the predator side were staring as Nick could only look in fear.

"What the heck?" The prey who had just tried to help the "sheep" said, as he looked at the ovine that had just started to howl as if he was one of the wolves. Another animal who was near him, a rhino, had a raised eyebrow as he looked at him.

"Wait, is that a zipper?" He said, gesturing to the neck of the sheep. It was possible to see the shine of a zipper, as well as the glimpse of something that did not looked like wool.

"Wait a minute!" Another one, a bull said, and walked to the howling sheep. He grabbed the zipper and pulled it down, revealing fur under the wool. He also grabbed the bottom "wool" of the neck and pulled it up. The animals around him gasped as a wolf's head revealed from under the sheep's one.

"What the fuck!?"

"Is one of the chompers!"

"Get him!"

Wolfard had stopped howling as he was exposed. He always carried a gun hidden, but it was only one, and right now he was in the middle of a whole mob of predator-haters. He was pretty sure that his days were numbered at that very moment.

However, it seemed that luck was on his side, for at that moment, the ones who were wanting to go at him were distracted by the sound of a great commotion coming from the area of the entrance.

"The cops are here!"

That was the moment when all hell broke loose.

All of the animals in there were trying to make a run for it, getting one over the other to try and reach a way out of the warehouse. A team of mammals in the ZPD was throwing out orders of them to stop and to surrender, as they darted however was trying to run away or to attack them.

They were armed to their teeth with dart guns, anyone who tried to go at them was darted on the spot, and the ones who tried to run were darted as well. Most of the animals in there were unarmed, and they didn't wanted to get darts on the arm or butt, so they were either surrendering or (most of them) trying to make a break for it.

"What? The police?"

"But how!?"

"The mutt!" One sheep said, pointing at Wolfard. "He is with them!"

Most of the animals were running, and they seemed to have forgotten of the "imposter" that was among them. Wolfard used this as a chance, pulling out his dart gun his pants and pointing it at the animals that were still paying attention to him, darting as many as he could. The ones who were surrounded him were out like lights. Most paid little attention, as they were most attentive on getting the hell out of that place.

Nick saw it, and he was able to smile at the wolf. While he also tried not to get step on or dragged by the predators who were trying to get out of that place as well. All of sudden, it was like the animals in there had forgotten their differences, as all of them only thought of running out of that place so they would not go to jail.

They rushed in direction to the other end of the place, to the other door that was on the end of the other warehouse, aiming to go through it and to the hope of their freedom.

They did reached it, and they were nearly trampling each other as they tried to get through it as now it was each mammal for himself. Eventually, the door was open, and the mammals were able to get through it. Most of them actually wanting to get away from there as fast as they could, but a few did stopped as they were able to notice that there was a piece of the scenery that was unusual, to say the least:

An unconscious elephant with a dart sticking form his behind.

Only when darts started to fly from the darkness, hitting the mammals who were trying to get out of the warehouse, was that they noticed that this was not a good idea.

"ZPD! Paws in the air!" A bunny wearing heavy police suit said, pointing her dart gun at the animals. She was not alone though, as a wolf, cheetah and rhino, all dressed alike, were along with her, pointing their guns at the animals and darting them as soon as they tried to move away.

The animals in there were falling like leaves as the darts hit them. The mess was set, as each mammal was trying to run out of the range of the darts, and some of them were actually able to avoid the darts of the four animals, and to run out of the cops who were firing. One example was a hippo, who managed to slip away in the mess and run away. He had a smile on his muzzle as he thought that he had managed to slip away. However, this was short lived, as soon, he was dropping face first in the ground, a dart sticking out of his arm, courtesy of Meerkovitz, who was just reloading his dart rifle.

"Got you." The meerkat said, as he went back into surveilling the area, keeping an eye over the ones who were down there, trying to get away. He also kept an eye over his fellow officers, as they continued their job on darting the ones who tried to escape by the other end.

The animals who were trying to escape, as they noticed that the cops were covering that area, rushed to go back inside, and that was only for them to be remembered that the cops were also inside of the warehouse, darting whoever was in their sight.

They were trapped.

The plan that the ZPD came up with was showing to be very efficient, as the animals in there were now easy targets for them. Of course, only a part of the mammals seemed to notice it, as only a pawful of them surrendered to the officers, while most seemed to either be willing to try to find a way out or to fight.

Bogo already had to dart five animals who had tried to run on his direction, as he and Delgato were looking over one of the sides that was separate by the barbed wire, while McHorn and Fangmeyer were on the other end. Many of them were willing to attack them, either with their bare fists of with anything they could have in hand, including the boxes and craters used as tables and chairs in there. Luckily, none of them was ready to fight, as they were quickly darted without as much as putting up a good struggle.

Even thought, some of them actually seemed to be ready to represent an actual threat, as it was the example of one zebra who was advancing at them with a switchblade, but he quickly feel to the ground darted, but not by their darts.

Delgato, the one the zebra was going for, blinked, and he looked over, to see Nick with his dart gun. The fox casually winked at the lion, and blew the barrel of his dart gun.

Meanwhile, other animals were still trying to escape by the other end of the warehouse, where team Alpha 2 was waiting. Most of them were darted on sight, but some of them were able to avoid the darts and try to make a dash for it. Some of them even dashed in direction to the cops, as they wanted to maul them.

Catano just had to dart two rhinos who were coming for her. She missed a jaguar that was coming in her direction, and nearly managed to get to her when Rhinowitz got in the way, and pushed him back, making him drop hard on the ground as he was pushed back by the burlier prey, only to be darted right after.

Judy seemed to be a popular target among the mammals who were trying to escape. Probably because she was small, and the animals assumed that she was an easy target. These were in for a great surprise.

The small bunny lacked size, but she compensated with wits and speed, which she used with mastery, as she scampered from the animals who tried to claw or stomp on her and darted them. At one moment, a horse tried to stomp on her with his hooves, but Judy was able to avoid it by jumping. She landed on his knee and jumped again, landing on his head and jumping once more, darting him on the neck in the process. From there, she jumped over the heads of four more mammals, darting each one of them in the neck as she jumped, and she landed in front of a big bear, skidding on the ground and between the bear's legs as she darted him in the buttocks.

Judy was getting up, and she had failed to notice the weasel who was coming at her with a pocketknife. Luckily, someone else noticed that, as the weasel was darted and dropped to the ground. It was a courtesy of Eliot Fanghanel.

_That is what you get for messing with future Mrs. Wilde._ Eliot thought to himself as he smiled at the unconscious weasel. Judy had just saw the unconscious weasel and looked at the wolf. Eliot smiled at her and made a salute. However, instead of smiling back, Judy widened her eyes.

"Look out!" She cried out, surprising Eliot. The next thing the wolf heard was a strangled gasp and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. He looked back to see a big elephant laying on the ground, with a dart sticking out of his body, his trunk still tied around the big piece of wood that it intended to use to hit the wolf.

"_Fanghanel, you need to keep focus._" Meerkovitz voice came from the radio. "_Just because I'm on sentry duty here does not means the rest of the group can slack._"

Team Alpha 3 was also doing their job right, as they kept watch over the place from the top, and darted whoever escaped from the other two teams. Most of it consisted into darting the ones who were able to get past Alpha 2 or, like just happened, tried to take out the officers. Of course, it also meant the ones who tried to escape by other means, since some mammals wanted so bad to escape that they were able to break through the relatively frail walls of the warehouse, with a lot of effort.

All of these were darted by the officers in the sniper team, all of them with great shooting skills. Meerkovitz was a great example, as he seemed to notice all of the animals trying to attack Alpha 2 or escape by one or another end, or by their own self-made exits. The meerkat showed to all that he truly was a mammal of good aim and sharp senses.

_Oh yeah, puppy. This is Sentry Duty for you._

The plan was working like a charm, and the ZPD was being quick to seize and dominate the animals who were in there. In the middle of the mayhem, Nick was able to pass to the other side by sneaking under the barbed-wire fence. In there, he could sneak in between the animals who ran from one side to another, trying not to get caught up in between their running and their attempts of escaping, and occasionally darting one or two with his gun, which he had brought hidden on himself.

After running a little bit, he was able to see Wolfard, his wolf head exposed against the false sheep appearance, and the fox was quick to run by his side, darting an animal who had tried to attack him in the process. The wolf had formed a small barricade with the tables, hiding behind it, and the fox soon joined him.

"What a night, huh?" Nick said, panting slightly, while the wolf looked down on him.

"Yeah, kind of like the basketball game I was last week." The wolf agreed, and the two animals were able to look past their barricade and dart one or two animals, before they ducked back in to recharge their dart guns.

As they did, Nick was able to catch something with his peripheral vision. It was Kyle, the grizzly bear. Accompanied by two other bears, both dressed in suits who were defending him as they made their way through the mayhem.

Nick followed them with his gaze, and he saw the grizzly bear reach out for an old rug that was covering that area of the floor. The grizzly removed the rug, revealing a trapdoor. He opened it, and soon he was going down on it with his two bodyguards following him closely, with the last one to go closing the trap door as they went.

They probably thought that they were making an exit without anyone seeing, but Nick had managed to see them. The trapdoor surely was of an old underground path. Zootopia had a few of them; memory from the old times of the city, but mostly of these underground paths had been close, with only a few having remain open. They probably had found it and thought they could use it as a way to get away from the problem in an emergency, just as they were doing at that very moment.

Kyle had presented himself to them as one of the organizers of the event, and Nick knew that they could not let the bear slip like that. The bear could be the key to get the other mammals who were involved in this and close these illegal fights for good.

"Orange." Nick said, catching the wolf's attention. "I just saw our friend Kyle trying to get away from the party."

"Let him try. The other teams will get him." Wolfard said, as he finished reloading his dart gun.

"I don't think so, unless one of them can see under the concrete." Nick said, "Come, we gotta get him."

Wolfard said, following the fox into the place where the trapdoor was. They opened it and, as Nick had expected, saw a staircase inside that led to what seemed to be a tunnel.

"Not afraid of the dark, are you?" Nick asked, and the wolf triggered his gun, showing that he was ready for action. Nick could only smile back at him.

"Attention, Alpha." The fox said to the lapel of his shirt. "This is Apple talking. We just saw one of the organizers of the event escaping by an underground tunnel. He is with two other bears and it is probably that they are armed. We are going on pursuit."

"_Hold on, Apple. It is dangerous. You don't know what you could be walking into_." Bogo's voice came.

"True, Alpha 1" Nick said, checking on his dart gun. "But I do know that we cannot let that guy escape when we can get him. We are both ready and we will proceed carefully."

There was a brief silence, and next, the chief's voice came again.

"_Fine, but if the situation proves to be difficult you must either turn back or call for backup and wait for it. That is an order._"

"Okie dokie, Chief. That is Apple, roger and out." Nick said, and looked at Wolfard, who nodded at him. Soon the two mammals were going down on the staircase, relying on their good night vision to be able to walk down the steps of the stairs.

As the two officers went down in chase of the criminals who were trying to escape, they had both failed to notice that someone had observed them go, and the two figures were now approaching the open trapdoor.

* * *

The lion was giving him more trouble than he thought. Killer Hooves had seen better days, as he now had a lot of cuts and gashes on his body, from which blood continued to leak, and he had a limping leg form the bite that the lion gave him, and left eye bruised and swollen shut. The lion was not in much better shape either.

Bruises were all over his body and on his face, swollen on the muzzle from multiple punches that he had received. The lion also had gashes on his body. Hooves could cut just as deep as claws if you used enough force, as Killer Hooves knew himself. The left arm of the lion was hanging limp, certainly dislodged from the shoulder due to the last grapple that the bison had made. Still, the lion was growling at him, looking as if he suffered nothing at all, and looking like he wanted to maul the bison with whatever claws he had left. He showed his teeth, with some missing, fallen form the fight, and unsheathed the claws of the paw that was on his still good arm.

The lion didn't knew when to quit!

Well, at least the crowd was surely riled up from…

However, this trail of thought was interrupt when the bison looked at the crowd for the first time since the battle began. During the course of the battle, he had been too focus on fighting and he had only paid attention to the sounds of the crowd. He had assumed that the screaming he had been hearing was cheering and jeering, as it was common in the fights. However, when he looked around, he could see animals rushing from side to side, and many on the ground. He also saw animals in heavy equipment in there, carrying heavy dart guns. There was no way he would mistake kinds of animals who used such equipment.

Crap! The cops got in there!

"Dammit!" Bisantin said. "The cops are here! We gotta-"

He didn't had the chance to finish the phrase, as in that same instant, the lion lunged at him, roaring and swinging his claws, which the bison was barely able to dodge in time to avoid losing an eye.

* * *

Nick and Wolfard walked side by side. Their eyes had gotten used to the low light of the tunnel. Night vision was surely a perk of being a nocturnal predator, as foxes and wolves both surely knew.

"Got any visual on them?" The wolf whispered to the fox, as both of them kept their weapons pointed in front and approached as quickly and carefully as they could.

"Not at all. But they surely are ahead of us." Nick answered, absolutely sure of this. They had made a few curves ever since they entered into that tunnel, one or two times they had come into an area where the path bifurcated. Luckily, Wolfard's keen sense of smell was able to pick up the scent of the bears who had just passed, and indicate to them the right way to follow.

"Where do you think this tunnel leads?" Wolfard said, as they turned yet another curve.

"Wherever it is…" Nick said, as he kept up with the pacing of the bigger canine "I just hope it is not the Nocturnal District."

* * *

Bogo and Delgato had just finished the darting, and the ones left were either cuffed or trying to find other ways to escape. McHorn and Fangmeyer surely looked like they could take care of this.

Alphas 2 and 3 were outside catching anyone who was trying to run away from the warehouse. Meanwhile, Wilde and Wolfard were on the pursuit of a key target that was escaping through an underground passage.

This left only the two animals in the ring to catch.

Bogo looked at the two animals, who seemed still far too focused on fighting each other to notice that things had gone wary around them. The lion roared like a mad mammal while he tried to claw at the bison, who fought back with punches and by pushing him away.

Bogo looked around, and saw a pig handcuffed into the ground, remaining in the ground like they told him to when they put the cuffs on him. Bogo approached, and the pig saw him coming, adopting an expression of fear.

"I'm cooperating! I'm cooperating!" The swine said in earnest. Bogo approached and knelt near him, and asked:

"Do you have the key to the cage?" He gestured at the ring, and the pig nodded.

"Y-yes sir! In my left back pocket!"

Bogo put his hoof in the pocket of the swine's pants, and soon he was able to fish out a set of keys. Getting up, he nodded at Delgato, gesturing for him to follow. They approached the closest end of the cage in the ring, and as Bogo put the key on the keyhole to open the door, he could hear a little of what was going on in there. It seemed that it really heating up now…

"Stop it!" Bisantin said to the lion, who continued to try to maul him, forcing the big prey to use both his arms to hold the teeth-packed muzzle and the still functional clawed paw of the lion away from his body.

"Stop it, you idiot! The cops are in here!" Bisantin said to him. "We are both going to go to jail! I think we can escape from them, but only if we work together!"

"I'll… kill you…" Fera growled as he continued trying to claw and bite the bison that was standing before him. "I'll kill you… you darn grazer… you will pay… you will all pay…"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Bisantin said once more, as the lion was now trying to reach for his neck with his jaws. Finally, the bison had enough and was able to use his strength to raise the lion from the ground slightly and throw him back.

"You idiot!" Bizantin said to the lion, who was slightly dazed, but quickly getting up. "The cops are in here! We are going to go to jail if we don't escape! Is that what you want? Have you been in jail before!? I have! And I don't intend to go back! Now quit this whining of yours and listen to me so we can… we can… ooowwwww."

Bizantin soon was falling to the ground. There were four darts sticking from his back. Delgato was pointing a dart gun at him, and right behind him was coming Bogo, also pointing his gun forward.

As they pointed, Fera was getting back up, and he looked at the bison, who was in the ground.

"Get up…" the lion said to the unconscious bovine. "Get up now… Get up and fight! You darn grazer! Get up so I can finish you off!"

Delgato looked over his shoulder to look at Bogo, and the chief only made a head gesture. This was all that the lion police officer needed.

"Mateo Fera?" Delgato said, catching the lion's attention. "ZPD, do not move. You are under arrest."

Fera looked at the lion, still panting and growling. The lion fixated his gaze on the two officers that were coming, and he leaned forward. Delgato even thought that he was going to lay on the ground and let himself be cuffed, however, the lion was instead adopting a four-legged position, and the way he continued to growl and bare his teeth made he look pretty much like a savage predator.

"Is all your fault… All your fault…" Fera grumbled as he growled.

"Stop! Stay down!"

"Is your fault… my brother… ALL YOUR FAULT!" Fera roared as he made a leap, lunging straight in the officers' direction.

* * *

Another trapdoor has just opened, and a big bear with a suit came through. He got out, and soon two more bears came after him. One of them was Kyle, who sighed as he finally could feel the fresh air again.

Bears were famous for liking caves and dark places, but Kyle surely was not one of these. In fact, he was a little claustrophobic when it can to caves and similar spaces. Still, he was glad that they had found this old underground tunnel when they were preparing the warehouse for the fight. It led to a deserted road so abandoned that vehicles hardly even went that way anymore, only old light posts illuminated the road, and it was so empty that some could even mistake it by part of a ghost city. Apparently, it was once used to smuggling illegal materials and stolen goods, in the past of Zootopia. Now, it made a perfect getaway for an emergency, and it proved to be very useful just now. It led to a good distance from the warehouse, and the way that things were in there, by the time the cops managed to find it, he would be long gone.

Still, Kyle could not understand how the cops were able to find the place and take it like that. He had been so careful… Oh, well. No use crying over spilled honey, now he had to keep moving, and next time, he needed to be more careful.

Sighing as he fished up his phone, he went to the fast dial and dialed a number. He was taking the phone on his ear and waiting for the one on the other end to pick up. He, along with his two bodyguards, failed to notice that someone else was coming out of the trapdoor behind them.

"Hey there." The bear said as the one in the other end picked up. "It's Kyle. Look, there was a problem… The cops busted into the place and took over, sorry." Kyle immediately had to move the phone away from his ear, as the one in the other end started to yell.

"Hey, hey. Hey!" Kyle said, as the one on the other side continued to yell at him. "Will you let me talk?" He said, and the conversation continued, he didn't noticed that the bodyguards both suddenly gasped, a sound that was followed by the sound of two heavy bodies hitting the ground.

"Yes… yes, I know… No, I don't know how they found out!" Kyle continued. "… Of course I was careful. What do you think I am...? Yeah, I know that this means problem for us… No, the fighters were still in the cage, I'm pretty sure that they didn't escaped… Yeah, it surely is a setback on everything… Hey, don't worry, we have a good audience, of course they will all come back as soon as the dust has settled… Yes, I'll make sure that next time there are no flaws… If what happened today was caused by someone, you can be sure that I'll have their pelts. Now don't worry, I'll do what I can to prepare for the next fight, it will be a success. You have my word on that." Kyle finished and hung up on the phone. Immediately, a familiar voice said from behind him.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to keep that promise, pal."

The bear twirled around, and he saw two animals pointing dart guns at him. One was a wolf who was with what seemed to be sheep wool from his neck down. The other one was a fox who had a sly smile on his face.

Kyle looked around, and he soon spotted his two bodyguards on the ground, laying unconscious with darts sticking out of their bodies.

The bear blinked, confused, but as he looked at the two mammals, comprehension replaced the confusion, followed by a cold expression as he looked at the two.

"I see… Well, it does make sense." The bear said calmly, as Wolfard and Nick pointed their dart guns at him. "Well, I have to say that I'm doubly surprised. Both for finding out that 'wolf in sheep's clothing' is not just a saying…" He looked at Wolfard, and turning his head at Nick, "And that the ZPD actually did started to employ foxes… I was sure it was just a publicity campaign."

"Yeah, this campaign truly works out for me." Nick said to him. The bear only looked back at him.

"Just what is the world coming to?" The bear said, "Now even the foxes can turn tail and join the cops. Before we only had to worry about you guys picking our pockets or selling us cheap stuff in the street."

"Yeah, I used to do that. Not the pocket picking, but I did should a few things to people out there. Until I decided it was time to turn over a new leaf. Now here I am, using my slyness in service of law and order."

"Until they decide that they don't have to tolerate you anymore." The bear said. "It will happen, you know? I heard that of many foxes. They try to go legitimate and get themselves honest jobs, until something go missing or someone complain of having a fox in the workplace, then they are thrown out like old, rotten fruit. It happened to many others before."

"You know, I think we should start by reading your rights, but I'm pretty sure you know them." Nick said to him, "My doubt is that we should count that phone call you just made as your one phone call or if we should give on an extra one. Also, maybe you could want to call your lawyer, if you think you need."

"Now, paws where we can see." Said Wolfard."

The bear looked at them for a few moments. "Do we really have to do this?" The bear said, raising his hands as he had been told. "I have resources, you know? I could make a phone call and have a good sum of money transferred to both your accounts. If you two would be kind enough to look away so I can leave." The bear kept an eye on both officers as he said that. "Sounds reasonable, don't you think? Come on, we are all predators, we know how unfair life can be for us. Let's help one another, yes?"

"And you have just added bribery attempt to your charges." Nick said to him. "You are running a pretty long tab. These kinds of things accumulate jail time, you know?"

The bear looked at the fox, and after a few moments, he opened a smile. Nick didn't liked that smile.

"Well, it is too bad..." The bear said. "For you two."

Before Nick had time to think of what the bear just said, he heard two metallic *click*s coming from behind himself and Wolfard, followed by the feeling of something metallic and cold on the back of his head. He didn't even had to turn his head to know that he was screwed.

Behind them, two burly bears, also in suit, were pointing two _guns_ at the fox and wolf, who now had no choice but to raise their own paws in surrender. All under the gaze of a smiling Kyle.

* * *

Delgato reacted in instinct, pulling the trigger and firing two darts into the leaping lion. Two hit him square in the chest, but the lion barely minded them. He moved through the air, past Delgato, and straight in direction to Bogo.

The lion tackled him, sending both himself and the buffalo to the ground.

"Chief!" Delgato cried out, and Bogo grunted as Fera bit on his arm, trying to get into his flesh. However, the teeth barely went to go through the armor on his arm. Bogo felt really thankful for the thick covering that was the advanced equipment of the ZPD, and for it being strong enough to resist claws and teeth like the ones of the mad lion.

Bogo had lost his rifle when he was tackled to the ground, and he had to resort to using his fists against the lion. With a closed hooved fist, Bogo punched the lion in the face as hard as he could. He was sure that it was going to leave a heavy bruise, but the lion didn't let go. There was a maddened look in his eyes as he continued trying to sink his fangs in the buffalo's arms.

Meanwhile, Delgato continued to fire darts into the lion, always being careful not to hit Chief Bogo. The last thing he needed now was something like that going on his permanent record. Six darts had hit the lion already, but he seemed to still not have affected by the tranquilizers.

_Crap. Is he high on something?_ Bogo thought as he saw the way that the lion was resisting, and the maddened look on his eyes. The buffalo was even starting to wonder if the armor on his arm was going to resist. He had to get the lion out of himself.

Using his free arm, Bogo put his hooves around the muzzle of the lion, and he squeezed as hard as he could. The lion only had one good arm as well as the other was seemingly dislocated, and the other arm was focused into holding Bogo's arm in place. The buffalo squeezed at the base jaw of the lion hard, to force him to open it. It was hard, for a moment Bogo wondered if he would feel the bones giving in under his hooves before the mouth actually started to open.

However, this did not happened, as the pressure in the maw finally made the lion open it, letting go of Bogo's arm. The big bovine saw his chance in there, and he immediately freed his arm, making a swift movement as he slammed the big feline into his chest on the mat. Bogo was now putting him into a hold as the cat tried to struggle free, growling, roaring and cursing.

"Chief!" Delgato came, going right next to the big mammal. "You alright? Your arm…"

"I'm fine." Bogo said, as he continued to hold Fera down into the mat. "Get a pair of cuffs for him, reinforced ones. And get a muzzle too."

Fera continued to roar as he was forced into the ground, and Bogo was forced to slam him into the ground to make him stay down. The lion growled, and then started to mumble.

"You did it to him… You did it… It is all your fault…"

"What?" Bogo asked.

"My brother… My brother… He is dead… He is gone… It is all your fault… You killed my brother…" Fera continued to mumble, he looked up, hate in his eyes. "I'll make you pay… I'll make you all pay…"

Bogo looked down at the mammal he was pinning. At the hate on his eyes as he looked at the buffalo. At the way he bared his teeth in fury as he said these words. And at the great amount of blood that was coming out of his nose.

* * *

"I take a lot of precautions for these events." Kyle said at the two mammals, who were now on their knees, their paws on their heads, as two other bears pointed actual guns to their heads from behind.

"I make sure to keep the entire thing as hush-hush as possible. I make sure to let everyone know how important it is to keep secret so these events can happen. Still, sometimes someone just talks."

He turned at the two animals, and he said:

"So, who was the one who talked?"

None of them said a thing. They only kept looking at the bear, who simply accepted their silence and continued.

"I really hate when people talk what they should not. Especially when they talk to the cops." He spoke. "This will cause me so much problem… I'm going to have to find new places. To reinforce the security. To made double insurances to all the involved that there will be no danger of the cops coming in again. So much trouble."

"Well, you kind of deserve it." Wolfard said, and the bear behind him pressed the barrel of the gun harder on his head, letting him know that he should not talk. Nick had a few remarks himself, but he knew better than to just start talking now. They were in trouble enough already.

The bear chuckled. "Yeah, many mammals are very brave, at least until they have a gun pointed at them. A _real_ gun." He said, and proceeded.

"That is a point where the ZPD is not very good. They carry darts instead of bullets. Of course, it is efficient and politically correct; still, a gun with bullets makes a much better way of making others comply. They know that when they black out from the bullets they will never wake up anymore."

Another wave of silence filled the place, and the bear said:

"So, you two will really not tell me who was the one that babbled?"

Silence. The two canines only kept staring at the bear, who sighed.

"Very well." He reached out on his suit, and pulled out a long and mean looking knife.

Both animals felt a cold feeling run down their spines, both because of the dagger and of the way that the bear's eyes were shining as he looked at the two of them.

"I did promised an associate of mine that I would have the pelts of the responsible for what happened tonight." He said, passing a finger over the edge of the blade, a wicked smile forming on his muzzle as he did. "And I am a mammal of my word."

Even Nick was unable to hide his worry at what this was implying.

"So, who would like to be first?" The bear said, as he approached the two, his knife ready to taste blood.

That was when something distracted him.

"What?" The bear said, as something fluttered on his way.

A butterfly. With blue wings.

"What is…? Get off! Shoo!" The bear said, waving his paw in front of his face to scare the butterfly away. However, that didn't seemed to work. Actually, it seemed that it only led the butterfly to fly harder against his face.

The mammals who were in there looked at it surprised. Nick the most of all, as his memory suddenly moved back to the previous night.

_I-it is… No, it can't be…_

"Why, you…" The bear said, waving his paw faster, now looking like he wanted to swat the butterfly. "Pesky… little…" The bear said, getting mad. "Annoying… bug…" He said, and now he actually swung his paw to swat the butterfly.

That was when something unexpected happened.

"Gah!" The bear cried out, stumbling back and dropping down the knife as his paw went to hold the other. In the illumination of the empty street, it was possibly to see blood leaking down from the paw of the bear, coming from a gash that had opened suddenly.

"W-what…" Kyle mumbled, as shocked as the animals who were looking at him. He looked over, and saw the butterfly hoovering close to his face. As the butterfly moved, the bear suddenly cried out and stepped back once more. There was a new cut, this one on his cheek, and it was leaking blood.

"What the hell!?" The bear said, and the butterfly floated near him again. This time, a cut appeared on his forearm as the butterfly fluttered over it. The cut had penetrated the cloth of his suit, reached the skin, and even penetrate into the flesh, or so one could suppose by the amount of blood that was coming from the bear's arm.

The butterfly continued to flutter to the bear, and each time it got close, a wound opened into the body of the ursine, causing him to cry out in pain. All of that under the baffled gaze of the four mammals.

"Stop it! Stop it! Someone do something!" The bear cried out, as he threw himself to the ground, the butterfly still flying to him, more wounds opening into the body of the bear as he did, blood was leaking from them and staining the suit that the bear wore. "Someone help me!"

The animals continued to look, until yet another voice broke then out of their stupor.

"Look at that!"

The eyes of the mammals turned to the direction of the trapdoor, as a familiar (to Nick) coyote emerged through it.

"Out of the warehouse and out of trouble! I told you it was a good idea to follow these bears!" Hudson Coyle said to someone who was coming behind himself, before he was forcefully pushed out of the hole and a big tiger came right after. The big feline rose his eyes, and he saw a scene before him, something that Hudson soon saw himself.

A fox and a wolf, the wolf seemed to be a sheep from the neck down, with two bears on suits pointing guns at their heads, and a third bear on the ground, crying out form pain as he tried to get up, a butterfly flying near him. Other two bears lay unconscious on the ground, with darts on their bodies.

"Ummmm, are we interrupting something?" Coyle asked.

Kyle groaned and got up, scrambling away from the butterfly, looking at it as if it wanted his soul. The other bears were confused, as well as the two canines.

"Well, if you guys are busy, I guess we will be going now…"

"You won't go anywhere!" The bear said, aiming his gun away from Nick, and at the coyote. Nick saw an opportunity, and immediately ran for his dart gun, and only Wolfard actually saw it.

"Really?" the coyote asked. "I just want to leave and you point a gun at me?"

"Stay right where you are!" The bear said, not noticing that the fox he had been pointing at was reaching out for his own weapon. "If you move I'm gonna shot you!"

Coyle looked at the tiger, who just said:

"If he wants trouble, then give him trouble." The tiger looked at the bear, who now pointed a gun at him. The tiger casually reached out for his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "He is just a mundane. You can take care of it easily." He looked at the coyote as he lighted the cigarette. "Unless, of course, you are too weak."

The coyote seemed to take it as an offense. He looked at the bear, and said once again. "Okay, I just wanna leave so I'll have no problems! But if you keep pointing that at me then YOU will have problems."

"You mangy mutt!" The bear said, giving a step further, getting his gun ready. As the *click* sounded, Coyle immediately reacted, reaching out for something inside his shirt, and pulling out… a long tread of red rope.

What happened next was so fast that some of the mammals in there didn't had time to register it.

The other end of the rope shot forward, and tied around the wrist of the bear. With a movement of the end that was on his paw, Coyle made the bear point his gun to the sky, right before the bear pulled the trigger, shooting at the sky. Right after, the ursine cried out in pain as the rope suddenly dig into his fur and flesh, causing him pain. The gun dropped from his paw, and then, Coyle pulled the rope once more.

The rope pulled the paw down, and then, with another movement, the rope moved the paw right against the bear's face. Once. Twice. Thrice. With a fourth movement of the roped paw, the bear dropped to the ground, unconscious.

The rope untied from his wrist, and retracted back to Coyle, who held it like a whip. He looked over at the other bear, who was looking at him baffled, along with the wolf (but Coyle did not gave the wolf very much attention).

"What about you?" Coyle asked him, and the bear looked at him, before turning around and running. However, the bear was not able to get far, as Coyle immediately made a movement, causing the rope to shot forward and tie itself around the torso of the bear. With another movement, the bear was push backwards, towards Coyle. Then, with an upward movement, the bear was raise from the ground, only to be slam back into the ground with force.

The bear coughed up, some blood coming from his mouth, and he immediately lost consciousness.

"How about that for weak?" The coyote said to the tiger, who just puffed at his cigarette with indifference.

Meanwhile, Kyle had witnessed that. The bear was scared, and he turned around, ready to leave that place, when a dart hit him into the arm, causing him to immediately drop unconscious.

Nick kept his dart gun pointed at Kyle for a few moments, before he turned it to the other animals in there. With his other hand, he picked up the other dart gun.

"Wolfard!" Nick said; causing the wolf to look at him as Nick tossed the dart gun at the wolf, who swiftly caught it, and soon, following Nick's lead, was pointing it at the two mammals.

"Seriously?" The tiger said; sounding annoyed as he saw the two mammals that were pointing dart guns at him. He seemed a lot calmer than the coyote, who suddenly looked meek, even after he had just taken out two bears holding guns.

"Okay…" Nick said, "None of you move." He spoke to the indifferent tiger and the scared coyote. "Drop the rope."

The coyote obeyed immediately, putting his paws up and letting the rope drop into the ground.

"Are you seriously trying to pull that up, Russet?" The tiger asked as he looked at Nick.

Both of the animals were focused mostly on the fox, to the point where Wolfard almost felt like he was being ignored.

"Oh, yeah, I am." Nick said, and continued to point his gun at the tiger, ready to fire if the big feline trying to make a lunge for him. "Now, both of you, put your paws on your heads and get on your knees."

Coyle was quick to obey, getting on his knees and placing both of his paws on his head, what seem to annoy the tiger even more.

"Stop doing what he says!" The tiger said to the coyote.

"We cannot make him mad, dude!" The coyote said back.

"We have no reason to humor him! He is nothing!" The tiger said back at him.

"I'm right here, dudes." Nick said, to them.

"So am I." Wolfard said, now getting really tired of people behaving as if he was a fly on the wall. "And we are getting you two under arrest."

The tiger looked at him, a scowl on his face. "Oh, really?" He asked the wolf, locking eyes with him. "I'd like to see you try. You mundane scum."

"Okay, I'm not sure what that meant, but you better apologize for this later." The wolf said, still pointing the dart gun at the tiger. "Now, on your knees and paws on your head!"

"You better do what he says." Nick said to the tiger. "His aim with that is rather good, and the sedatives give you a pounding headache when you wake up."

The tiger turned his head back at the fox, and the expression on his eyes was one of disdain. He walked calmly in the fox's direction, making Nick stand on guard.

"What do you think you will gain from this, Russet?" The tiger asked him, and Nick continued to look at him.

"You really should not come much closer." Nick said, but the tiger ignored him, and pressed on:

"What is this all? What is all of that you are doing? What are you trying to accomplish?" The tiger asked the fox. "Is this some personal quest? Some way you found of making fame? Is this a mission that you are doing for someone? Is a game you are playing to pass your time? What is the meaning behind all of this?"

"I'm just doing my job." Nick said to him. "The job I've committed to do when I joined the ZPD."

The tiger continued to look at him, as if he was trying to see past the façade and into the truth behind the fox.

"Is that so?" The tiger said slowly. "Is it about helping the mundanes with their business?" The tiger pressed. "IS this a personal mission? Do you owe something to someone? Or are you actually trying to gain something on the long run? It could be, but I seriously fail to see what joining the mundane authorities could help you with."

"I decided to turn my life around." Nick said. "Someone came and showed me that I could do more with my life, not that this is any of your business." The fox continued to point that dart gun at the tiger.

"So, you are one of the ones who decided to turn their lives around?" The tiger said, his voice carrying even more disdain. "What, did you failed so many times that you see no longer reason to be part of the moonlit world? Did you gave up and found something else to pass your time? Another thing to give meaning to your life?"

The tiger gave a single more step forward.

"One more step and I'll dart you!"

"You still haven't answered me!" The tiger demanded, "What are you trying to accomplish here, Russet?"

"Right now I'm trying to capture a pair of weird mammals so I can get some answers from them!" Nick said to the tiger. "And my name is Wilde! _Officer_ Wilde to you!"

This seemed to really tick the tiger off, as his face morphed to one of purest rage, and the tiger let out a small roar as he raises hi foot from the ground. Nick was about to pull the trigger and dart the tiger on the spot, but the tiger was faster, slamming his foot back into the ground with full force.

Right next, Nick and Wolfard both were force backwards as the ground beneath their feet expanded, cracked and practically exploded. Pieces of concrete and soil flew into the air as a crater formed, and the two officers were blast backwards, their dart guns flying out of their paws as they fell into the ground, dazed and trying to understand what had just happened.

"What the…" Nick said, as he recovered first, and he looked at the place where they were, to see that a crater had formed in there, as the ground seemed to have opened and expanded, pieces of jagged concrete projecting like stalagmites from around the crater.

Nick blinked as Wolfard also recovered, and they both looked to see the angry look of the tiger, who was still looking at them.

"I didn't planned to go into a fight tonight." The tiger said, "But I really have reached my last never with you, fox!" The tiger said, and as he spoke, he clenched his paws into fists, and Nick could swear that the ground underneath him was shaking.

The tiger seemed about to do something when...

"Gah!" The tiger said in surprise, taking a paw to his arm. The tiger winced, and pulled a paw to see it smeared in blood, which was leaking from a wound that had just opened into his arm.

"What?" The tiger said, and then something caught his eye. It was a blue butterfly, fluttering around him. The tiger followed the small fluttering insect with his eyes, and saw it flutter close to his leg, and pass by it. He winced as another wound opened on his leg, forcing him to take a step back.

The tiger looked at the butterfly. Suddenly, another fluttered around his face, and as it did, it opened a wound on his cheek, what made him roar in pain and anger. He would have done something about that, if he didn't felt three more wounds opening on his body: one on his back, one on the outside of his thigh, and another on his other shoulder. Near each wound, there was a blue butterfly fluttering.

He was surrounded.

"What is this!?" The tiger demanded, as the fluttering insects surrounded him. "Russet! What is the meaning of this!?" The tiger demanded, looking at the fox. "Are these your familiars!?"

He seemed to have failed to notice the confused and surprised look in the eyes of the fox, and he didn't had time to ponder over it, as more wounds were opened on his body as the butterflies continued to flutter around him.

"Stop it! Stop it!" The tiger said, trying to swat them, but only getting more cuts on his body. The three other animals looked at it, and soon, the coyote decided to do something about that.

"Hang on, Zane!" The coyote said, picking up the red rope from the ground, and waving in the air. In that instant, the red rope started to glow, and it erupted in flames.

The coyote swung the flaming rope, making it move around the tiger, who was now crouching in the ground, shielding himself with both arms. Now, if it was from the butterflies or from the flames, one could only guess.

Nick and Wolfard both looked at the scene that was developing in front of them, looking as the coyote used the flaming rope to kill the deadly butterflies that were surrounding the crouching tiger.

"That is it, I give up!" Wolfard said to no one in particular, and Nick was force to agree with him. The fox looked at the two mammals, who seemed really distracted, and he looked at the trapdoor, still open.

"So, wanna get out of here?" Nick said to the wolf, and the canine followed his gaze at the trapdoor. The wolf nodded, and the two canines took advantage of the distraction of the two other mammals so they could sneak around them, and move to the trapdoor.

"Hold still!" The coyote cried out. "I'm trying to get all of them!"

The tiger winced and cried out something back at the coyote, but neither Nick nor Wolfard paid it very much attention. They were more focused into going down the trapdoor and back to the place where the other officers were.

Nick was already down the last steps, and Wolfard was ready to go in, when suddenly they heard:

"They are escaping!" The tiger's voice shouted.

"Run!" Nick said immediately, he dashed forward, and Wolfard jumped the steps of the trapdoor and was now rushing after the fox, who had a head start. However, he didn't went far, for a coil of red rope snaked down into the hole and wrapped around his neck.

* * *

The operation had been hard, but it was completely successful, and soon the officers gathered to see the outcome of the busting.

Many mammals captured, including the two fighters, and no casualties.

However, two officers were not present in there.

When Bogo explained that Nick and Wolfard had both gone through an underground path to find a runaway suspect, Judy didn't knew what to think. It was like in the alley days ago, when Nick went without backup.

Now he had Wolfard, of course, but that didn't changed the fact that he was after possibly dangerous suspects. Also, there was the fact that neither of them was answering to the radio, possibly because they were too far for the pieces they were using to make contact. The things had a limited range.

As his partner, and his friend, Judy did what she could think of: dashed into the trapdoor and went in there, with Eliot Fanghanel and Ellen Fangmeyer coming right behind her.

The rest of the officers remained to book and take in the suspects, while Judy dashed to find her partner.

* * *

_That really happened!_ Was the thought on Nick's mind. _That really happened and I saw it! I'm not sure of what I saw, but I'm sure that I saw it happen._

Nick continued to dash on the dark tunnel, his night vision helping him considerably.

"That was crazy, wasn't it?" Nick said as he panted and continued to dash. "Guess we will both will have something interesting to put on our reports, right, Howler?"

Nick expected something to be said in return by his comment, but there was only silence.

"Howler?" Nick said and, for the first time since he started running, he looked back. He saw only an empty tunnel behind himself.

Nick immediately stopped running and looked around.

"Howler?" Nick called. "Wolfard?"

No answer.

_Did… did I left him behind? Oh, crap!_ Nick thought, starting to feel a terrible feeling creeping up in the mouth of his stomach.

"Howler?" Nick called out once more, as the feeling got bigger. "Wolfard!?" He cried out, and he was about to make his way running back, aiming to find his wolf friend, when the familiar voice of the bigger canine came.

"I'm here!"

Soon, a figure of a wolf came running into the tunnel, and Nick was able to recognize the wolf.

"Sorry! One of them reached me and I had to get free from him." The wolf said, and Nick was able to breathe with relief for seeing that the wolf was okay. Still, Nick was feeling pretty awful for having left him behind like that.

"It was the coyote?" Nick asked him. "Did he used the rope?"

"Yeah, I felt rope around my neck." Wolfard admitted. "I couldn't even cry out for help. I think the guy was actually trying to straggle me."

Nick would have pressed the matter, however, something distracted him, as his ears picked up noise. There was someone coming from the other side of the tunnel.

"They are right here!" A familiar voice came, followed by a voice that was just as familiar.

"Nick? Nick! Are you there?"

"Carrots!" Nick cried back. "Right here!"

Soon the three officers reached the other two. Judy was the one who first reached the two. She was carrying her cellphone, using its light to light the path, once she didn't had good night vision like Nick. When she saw Nick, she immediately rushed to him and hugged the tod.

"Nick! You big idiot!" She said to him. "Are you okay?" She asked, and Nick was quick to tranquilize her, saying that he was just fine and that he had not got hurt. Nick thought it was better not to let her know that he had an actual gun pointed at his head, not yet, at least.

Soon, the other two reached the group.

"See, I told you I could find them!" Fanghanel said to the bunny. "This nose can pick a scent miles away." The wolf said with pride.

"Didn't you two went after the suspects?" Fangmeyer asked.

"We did, but things got complicated and we had to get out of there fast."

"Did they posed a threat?"

"Actually, we kind of had the situation under control in the start." Nick said, "But them some guys crashed into the party and everything got a mess very fast."

"Some strange mammals arrived and started a fight with the suspects." Wolfard added. "We had to get out of there quick. One of them tried to grab me but I escaped."

"You let yourself be caught?" Fangmeyer asked him, her tone seemed worried.

"The guy came from behind! I had no way of predicting it! I got rid of him fast though."

"Where are they?" She asked him once more.

"On the other end of the tunnel." Wolfard said. "Turn left, then right, then left again and go straight ahead. You will find a staircase that leads to a trapdoor. It ends in an empty street. There are five bears unconscious in there. The ones who attacked might be in there too, be careful, there are three of them."

"Right." Fangmeyer said, "Fanghanel, with me." She said, and the wolf nodded, and soon, they both were making it there.

"Be careful." The wolf said to them as they went, leaving the other three mammals in there.

"You two sure you are okay?" Judy insisted, and Nick had once more to assure her that he was okay, but still, she insisted into them going back so they would get checked. Soon, the three were making their way back into the tunnel, with the bunny in front leading them.

Well, it seemed that the night was over. Still, there was one thing…

"Wolfard?" Nick said to the wolf, who was walking by his side. "Why did you said that there were _three_ of them?"

"Because there was." Wolfard said, seeming confused. "The one who cut Kyle up, remember?"

"You counting that butterfly too?" Nick said, "It will be interesting seeing them take it for questioning."

Wolfard looked at the fox. "Butterfly?"

"Yeah, the blue butterfly that was cutting Kyle up when it flew near him." Nick said to him. "And, that later called a lot of its friends to pick up at that tiger. You know, before the coyote swung the flaming rope at them."

Wolfard had stopped, and now he was staring at the fox.

"Wilde… what are you talking about?"

* * *

**This is nice important point in the story. It is where things start to get more interesting.**

**Usually a friend of mine does the proofreading, but this time I did it myself. Also, I rewrote the ending. Sorry if it is not very good or if the grammar is not the best, hope you guys can still enjoy it.**

**Please, read and review, and no flaming.**


	9. Visitation

Paperwork was still Nick's particular boogeymammal.

Seriously, the fox had no idea on how much paperwork was involved into the police work… Okay, he was a little bit. But just from hearing and seeing it on television, but having to go through the paperwork every day was another matter entirely for Nick. One that he soon found to be his least favorite part of the work as a cop. That was something that he surely could agree with Judy.

Nick had just finished the last of his files, and he was able to stretch himself in his chair as he popped his joints.

Whew! Finally, that was over.

Now, for another matter…

Nick closed the archives he was working on, and continued on to his own personal research.

He had just finished looking in the ZPD's archives for the name "Coyle". The name that Hudson Coyle had gave him.

Once again, Nick had little results on the matter. And by 'little', we meant that there was, once more, no results on the matter about Hudson Coyle or any relative of his. What was strange, for the way that the coyote had talked about himself and his family, it seemed that they had done something…

"Hey, Wilde!" A voice called Nick, making him snap out of his thoughts, and he turned head from his computer to look at the owner of the voice, who was a familiar timber wolf, now out of his freakishly realistic sheep costume.

"Hey, Howler." Nick complimented him back. "So, not baking on that coat of wool today?"

"Nah, they decided that it was better if I stayed far from doing undercover work." The wolf said to the fox. "At least for now, since some guys saw that it was a disguise, they think that if I go out now it could end up compromising me. I'm stuck with desk duty for a while."

"Yeah, I feel your pain." Nick said sympathetic, as he gestured to his own computer. Desk duty was surely a less-glamorous part of the police work, but a needed one. Still, it didn't stopped Nick from feeling bored while he did it.

"Well, at least you can still go out in regular patrols." The wolf said to the fox. "Chief is still gnawing at my ears for 'upholding meaningful information'. I'll be stuck in desk duty for a while."

"Yeah, Buffalo-Butt surely does not goes easy on anyone." Nick admitted. He could still remember the look of cold reprobation in the cape buffalo's face as he asked the wolf to talk to him in private. As well as the meek look of fear in the wolf's face as he walked with the Chief to his office.

"It's been three days already." Nick added, and Wolfard sighed.

"Yeah, I guess the fact that I allowed someone to sneak up on me is kind of aggravating. So is the fact that I left my dart gun behind while I was running, my partner is also giving me a hard time because of that, especially because she now is in desk duty too."

"Hey, I lost my dart gun too." Nick said, being supportive to the wolf. "My partner is not letting me go easy as well."

"Yeah… partners, huh?" The wolf said, and Nick could only nod. The wolf then continued:

"Well, at least we got everyone who was in that place, including Kyle and his bodyguards, huh?"

"Yeah, that we did." Nick agreed. "He is still refusing to talk?"

"According to what I heard, he is asking for a deal in exchange for any information." Wolfard said, "The guy is though."

"Yeah, he looks like it." Nick said, and after a while more of silence, he asked, "Did he said anything else… about that night?"

"You mean, the night he was captured? Nothing much, but he keeps grumbling about 'skinning that koala if he ever sees him again'." Wolfard said to the fox. "He is still insisting in the 'koala' thing. It was a weasel who cut him with a knife! We both saw it, right?"

"Sure did." Nick said. "With the coyote and tiger. Still can't believe we can't find them."

"They probably are not in the system." Wolfard said. "But we gave a good description of them. I'm sure that someone will find something and tell us. We will get these three."

_If you count the blue butterfly too._ Nick thought, but did not spoke it out loud. He knew better, after all.

Nick could remember the night when they were in front of the Chief to tell what happened. Luckily, he didn't separated them, because otherwise Nick would not have any idea of what to say to the buffalo.

Nick had seen some things that he could not explain, and he was sure that describing them to someone else would sound really strange. Wolfard, on the other paw, had described something that was far more believable.

He told them that they were in danger of Kyle skinning them alive, when a weasel had come out of nowhere and started to slice the bear up with a hunting knife. Kyle was big and strong, but the weasel as far faster, and was able to overwhelm the bear with a very sharp knife. Some animals would take a weasel beating a bear with a grain of salt, but Bogo already knew that Judy had managed to knock out a rhino during her time in the academy, so he was most inclined to believe it. Especially when he heard that right after the bear had been darted.

He then described how a coyote and tiger, both who seemed to be with the weasel, came out and started to fight the bears. The coyote used a piece of rope to fight the bears, but it was mostly the tiger who knocked both of them out. They had their dart guns back, and seemed to have the other animals in their sight, when the coyote pulled out some explosive and threw it at them. They had to dive out of the way to escape from the explosion, which opened a hole in the street. In the process, they lost their dart guns once more.

The tiger looked that he was about to go for them, when the weasel started to discuss with him, and they both got into a fight, with the weasel attacking the tiger with the knife while the tiger tried to maul him back. The coyote even had to interfere to try to separate them. This was when Nick and Wolfard had both used their chance to run away.

Of course, they were seen trying to leave, and they had to make a break for it. That was when someone – probably the coyote – sneaked up on Wolfard from behind and put a rope around his neck. The wolf was held back and was unable to call for Nick's help, and the fox continued his way, thinking that the wolf was right behind him.

Luckily, Wolfard had managed to escape by elbowing the yote in the stomach and sending a closed paw on his snout, but he had to run for the tiger and weasel were coming right back. He met up with Nick right in the moment when the fox had realized that the wolf had stayed behind and was about to go back to help him. After that, they were found by Hopps, Fanghanel and Fangmeyer.

Nick had pretty much confirmed what the wolf said, and filled in the pieces that the wolf had left blank. It seemed like the reasonable thing to do, once telling him what he actually remembered, which was totally different from what the wolf had described, would have been really awkward, to say the least.

Nick was used to hide his emotions behind a mask when he needed, and right at that moment, Nick was forced to put his mask back. What the wolf described was perfectly reasonable and possible, especially when compared to what Nick himself had seen back there. He knew that it was not an option to tell them his own version of the facts after Wolfard gave his'. So, Nick did the best reasonable thing he could do: smile, nod and go along with whatever the wolf said.

Now, many other mammals would have thought of confronting the wolf on what he was saying, even if it was later, when they were alone. However, Nick had a feeling that this was not going to give positive results, for two reasons:

Reason one: when Nick mentioned the event when they were following Judy into the tunnel the wolf looked at him strange, it seemed that he had no idea of what the fox was talking about, as if he did not see the same things that the fox did. Reason two: Nick was really good at reading others, and while he was looking at Wolfard with his mask while the wolf told them his version of the facts, the wolf didn't even flinched for a second, it was as if he truly believed that what he was saying to them was truth.

These two things combined gave Nick the very distinctive feeling that Wolfard seemed to truly believe that what he told the Chief that happened was exactly what he _believed_ that had happened.

Now, while Nick had maintained his façade during the talk with the Chief, and later on, inside he was feeling quite confused. How could it be that the wolf simply forgot what he just witnessed and replaced it with something else?

Saying that the bear was attacked by a weasel instead of a butterfly? That the tiger had mostly beat up the bears when it was the coyote with the use of his red rope? That the coyote had threw an explosive at them when the ground simply exploded when the tiger stomped?

Could it be that he simply had forgotten all of that? Was this the famous thing that he heard about mammals suppressing or replacing memories if they were too traumatic? Could it be that the wolf got so scared that he simply blocked what he saw?

Or was it something else?

Nick could not forget that Wolfard had stayed behind and was caught by the guys. Over the past few days, he had been thinking if his amnesia could having been caused by these animals. That somehow they had managed to change his memories.

Now, Nick knew that it was far-fetched, and he knew that many would probably question his sanity if he spoke that aloud. Still, the more Nick thought about the matter, the more it seemed actually reasonable. Especially considering Kyle's situation.

The bear also had witnessed part of what happened. Heck, he had been the one who the butterfly had nearly cut to death. When he woke up, Nick had the feeling that he would give them his version of the facts, which would match Nick's. However, the bear told them – with some reservations – pretty much the same story that Wolfard had said, with only a few minor inconsistencies – the biggest one being the species of the animal who attacked him with a knife.

The two stories were consistent, despite the differences, and they almost made it seem that this truly was what had happened. Of course, many mammals would question their own memories over the course of so many facts. Nick, however, was not one of these mammals. Nick was not the kind who would question his own memories, or his own sanity, for that matter. He was not the kind who could easily be convinced that he was wrong over something, with one of the rare examples being how he changed his whole view of life and even his career thanks to a certain grey bunny.

Nick was sure of what he had seen. He was sure of what had happened and that it had been real.

No one would convince him otherwise.

"Wilde?" Wolfard's voice broke Nick from his reflection, and the fox looked back at him. "You have been silent for a while, you are feeling okay?"

Nick blinked at him, and had the same sly smile he was always wearing on his muzzle. "Yeah, just fine, just a lot to think lately."

Wolfard looked at him, and he looked like he had not been convinced.

"It is not about McChill, is it?" The wolf asked, and the fox said nothing.

McChill was an older cop of the force, a polar bear. He was an old-fashioned officer of the ZPD, one that was callous and, let's say, "really old-school". The guy had a lot of prejudices, including in regarding other species. He was famous for being a good and competent officer, but also for being speciest. He was among the ones who did not took it well that smaller species were joining the ZPD, and he had even more problem into having a fox as a brother in blue.

He never hid his opinions about Nick and he used to say to others that it was only a matter of time before the fact that they were employing a fox would come back to bite them.

In the past days, it seemed that his opinion on Nick had become more incisive, since he "abandoned" a fellow officer.

"This was bound to happen, you know?" Nick had once hear the bear said in the hallways. "That is how foxes do. They get close to you while is convenient to them, but as soon as things get ugly they turn tail and run to save their pelts. This is not prejudice, you know? I learned that from years of being a cop. They are the kinds of mammals who only care about themselves, and they would throw their own parents under a bus to save themselves. Of course that having a fox in the force was a mistake."

Nick felt like giving him a piece of his mind, but he had learned soon that things like that were better be ignored. Also, it was not like Nick needed to actually say or do anything in the matter, once he had his own personal guardian angel in the force.

Nick could still remember the shocked surprise on the polar bear's face when the small grey bunny jumped on him and swung her body in a way that it used his own weight to slam him into a table. She stood over his chest and gave him a good scolding for talking about her partner like that. That he should not talk about a fellow officer like that, and that this kind of speciest speech was a crime on itself and totally unfitting of the behavior of a police officer.

It had really paid off to see that big and proud polar bear being talked down by a bunny. It seemed to have prevented the bear from making more comments like that within earshot. Still, Nick could notice the dirty glares that the burly bear was giving him and Judy.

"Just ignore him." Wolfard said to the fox. "The guy has a lot of sticks up his butt, most of it just stupid non-sense. All the guys in here learned not to listen to him anymore."

"Yeah, I imagine." Nick said, and he continued with his usual indifferent front. However, due to the time he spent in the force, some officers already learned to recognize when he was using his mask.

"No one blames you." Wolfard said, reassuring the fox. "It was my fault being caught. You was ready to go back as soon as you saw I was not following. Everyone knows it."

Nick looked at the wolf, nodding. The fox was actually feeling quite glad that the wolf was saying that. Truth to be told, Nick still felt bad with himself for not noticing that the wolf had been left behind, and that he, as the one who was paired with him, should have been the one to keep an eye on the canine to be sure that he was okay and coming with him.

Having the wolf himself say that Nick did not faulted did not removed the regret lingering in him, but it did made Nick feel a little better to know that the wolf had no hard feelings on him.

"So, what time is it?" Nick asked, and the wolf looked on his watch.

"A quarter to ten."

"Oh, it is my time already." Nick said, looking at the computer. "And I finished right on time."

"Good for you." Wolfard said. "So, now you have all day to relax. One of the perks of being nocturnal."

In fact, Nick had taken a night swift with his partner that day. The night shift was less agitated than the day one. However, you would be surprised on how much things can happen at night, once many mammals were nocturnal by nature. They basically made rounds on their vehicle in the near empty streets, and then came back to deal with paperwork. It was not Judy's favorite thing, even because she was not used to being nocturnal, and she needed some amount of coffee to remain active and awake during that time, while Nick didn't had much difficulty.

Now, it was only a while before his shift was to finish, and Nick had already finished the paperwork that was reserved to him. That meant that Nick could use this little chance to sneak away earlier before Buffalo-Butt got the wiser. After all, he did needed some time for himself.

"Well, guess I'll be going." Nick said, turning off his computer.

"Don't forget to get your partner." Wolfard said to him.

"Actually, I'll be going on my own today." Nick said. "Hopps put herself to work on extra-hours today. She really wants to finish the files on the mammals that she darted in the busting, and you know how she is."

"Oh yeah." The wolf admitted. "Everyone knows how much of a hard worker Officer Hopps is. The Chief even says that we should follow her example sometimes. Do you know how rare is for him to say something like that about anyone?"

"Can only imagine." Nick said, and he was already getting off his chair and walking out. "Well, I'm gonna be on my way before Buffalo-Butt decides that I need to be with my partner in her extra hours."

"You say. So, any plans for your day?"

"Gonna be visiting an old acquaintance." Nick said with salute as he made his way to the dressing rooms.

As Nick walked, he sighed, and once more, he was glad that he was a master of poker face. Wolfard noticed that Nick was wearing his mask, and he assume that it was because of McChill, he didn't noticed that Nick was far too focused into the matter of what happened to them in the night of the busting.

Nick could not forget what he had seen. He could not forget what he had seen and heard into the place.

Nick could not simply let go of what he saw in there. He wanted some answers. He wanted to make some sense of what he saw in there. He didn't had anyone to back his story, so he was basically on his own in what came to this. Well, it was not like being on his own on a matter was something new to Nick.

The fox had spent his free times in the next days trying to find answers to what he had witnessed, which included trying to find those two mammals. Looking up at the name of Hudson Coyle had not gave him the leads that he needed, for it seemed that the guy never had been caught by any crime. He even researched the name 'Coyle' around, and all that he found was a smaller business of sports equipment owned by a coyote named "Marco Coyle". He even noted it as something that could possibly be related.

There was also the tiger, who Nick still remembered the coyote calling "Zane". However, this also led nowhere. The tiger also seemed not to have records of any kind. Nick even went as far as contacting Finnick and asking him if he knew said tiger, and the fennec only said that it did not rang any bells, but he promised to try to find more answers.

Also, there was the butterfly. However, that was possibly the less solid of all leads.

After all, it was a detail that Wolfard seemed to have absolutely no recollection off. It was a bug that seemed to be capable of murdering mammals, and that on itself was something impossible, according to the common sense.

The strangest thing about that butterfly was that Nick was sure that it was the very same butterfly that had companied Nick to his apartment in the night immediately previous of the busting. Not that it helped in the least. In fact, it only made the thing seemed even less reasonable.

It was not a solid lead. Actually, it was barely even a lead at all. Still, Nick followed it. Kind of…

The fox made the occasional research on butterflies, and most of it led him to websites about nature and of bug lovers. Nick even tried one or another more specific research, like "butterflies that kill mammals", and the most that he got was the link to a website of fictional stories, and some stories about invading aliens that looked like butterflies.

Of course it would lead him nowhere…

It seemed that all the things that Nick could try and follow to try and reach answers was not working. The names of the animals in there and the butterfly, which were the one things that could be considered leads, took him nowhere. He even tried to research a few things that he had picked up with his talk with the two mammals earlier, like "freelancer" and "clans". He even tried something like "Clan Wilde", and he got nothing that could really be considered solid. He did, however, found out that there was a "Wilde Clan" in the past, a family of noble foxes. That was a surprise for Nick, and it gave some ground to what the tiger had said about "important clans". Still, nothing truly solid.

Nick's hopes into finding something that would lead him to answers were diminishing the more he looked, as all that he could go after seemed not to lead anywhere.

However, not all was lost. For Nick still had one lead based on the talks he had in the night of the fight. It was one that he was not sure if he should follow hidden, but was one that seemed to actually be able to lead somewhere. Especially because of the way that the information had been presented to him.

That was a lead that could possibly take him somewhere. And that was what Nick was going to follow now.

* * *

Nick had been quick to lose his police uniform and put on his regular clothing, namely, a red pawaiian shirt, a part of indigo pants, and a yellow tie on his neck. Nick had always loved ties, and he was used to wear them. He liked them because they made him seem professional, and this helped others trust him. It was something from the times when he was still a street hustler, and it had became an especial part of his attire. Nick went as far as to think that without a tie he felt naked.

Walking out, Nick casually walked to the street and in direction to the subway. He barely minded the dirty looks of some other animals in there, undoubtedly not liking to have a fox nearby, and some of them walked away from him or pulled their belongings closer to themselves as Nick walked near. Nick was used to this kind of thing, and right now, he barely even minded any of these mammals. He had more important things to worry about now.

Nick was on his way to somewhere that he would prefer not to go on his free time. Still, he had a lead that he needed to follow.

Zootopia was a big city, and big cities had nearly everything. From commercial centers to cemeteries. Passing by gated communities for the super wealthy and red light districts that led some very dubious business and commodities. So, it was no surprise that Zootopia would have prisons in it. Places where the criminals would be put away to fill their jail times away from society, so they could later be returned to it with their debts to society paid and would be able to reintegrate society as they would have been properly reformed.

Of course, these prisons would not be near the places where the "good mammals" lived, so they were somewhat far from the city, still, they were within reach for anyone who wanted to go there. For example, the police officers that came to check on a suspect for information. Relatives of the inmates who came to visit. And the criminals who were put in there, of course.

Nick had not lied to Wolfard when he said he was going to visit an old acquaintance, even though it was one that he had hoped to not _have_ to visit.

Nick had to take two subways and one taxi to be able to reach the specific prison that he needed to go, and soon, he was in front of there. A huge building with concrete walls, big windows with bars on them, and the overall "welcome to prison" look. A huge brick wall with barbed wire on top separated the outside from the front yard of the prison, with two burly boars with dart rifles on watch.

_Yeah_ Nick thought to himself. _Good ol' Boarwood Correction Center_.

The fox approached the gate, and immediately, the two boars stood in attention, gripping their rifles as they looked at the fox.

"Hey there, guys." Nick said, giving a salute to the two boars, who stood in attention, and both tensed when they saw the fox reaching for something. The fox pulled out a pair of sunglasses, putting them on his face.

"The sun is terrible today, huh?" Nick said, and the boars continued to stare at him. "So, has visit time started already, or did I arrive too early?"

After a tense talk with the boars, and one of them giving a call to inside, the fox was allowed through the gates. Nick was scouted by a warthog, who kept giving him unfriendly glances, but Nick did his best to ignore him. Soon, Nick was in front of the responsible for the visiting, who was a pig who was far friendlier than the warthog. He stood on 5'2'' feet tall, with a chubby physique, as it was consider stereotype for male pigs, and he had mostly pink skin, but he had a tuff of wild black fur on top of his head, which seemed forcefully put in order by using a generous amount of fur-gel. He was wearing an indigo suit that made him look very professional, and his brown eyes focused into the fox as he approached, and he opened a friendly smile on his snout as the fox approached and smiled back.

"Officer Wilde." The pig said, offering his hoof for the fox, who shook it. "Good to see you here."

"Yeah, I could say it is good to be here…" Nick said, taking off his sunglasses. "But honestly, prisons make me nervous."

"Yeah, I imagine." The pig admitted. "I was surprised when you called yesterday."

"Well, I was also surprised when you answered." Nick said to the pig. "So, who would guess that a guy who used to…"

"One more word and I'll put you in one of these cells." The pig said to the fox, making Nick stop. The fox merely looked at him and shrugged.

"Well, anyway, it is good to see an old face, and to know that I was not the only one who turned my life around… You did turned your life around, right?"

"Yes, I did." The pig said proudly. "I'm glad to leave all of that behind." He stopped himself as he noticed the looks that the warthog guard was giving, and he cleared his throat, going back to business. "So, I really have to say this is a surprise. I mean, I know that you are in her visitation list, but I never expected to have you ever coming to visit her at all."

"Yeah, I didn't expected it either." Nick said. "So, I assume that everything is in order, right? Can I go see her?"

"Oh, everything is approved and in order." The pig said, "You would not have been allowed inside if it wasn't. She even knows that you are coming to see her. Still… Are you sure you _want_ to see her? I mean, some guys in directory were quite unsure of how she would react by seeing you."

"Will she be behind the bullet-proof glass?"

"Yes, that is how we do things here."

"Then I'll be fine."

With this, the pig soon was guiding Nick into the place where they visitation would happen.

"So, just to resume the rules of visitation." The pig said, as they walked to the door. "Normally you would be allowed for a max of one hour in there with her, but she will have therapy today this morning, so you will only have thirty minutes at most."

"It will be more than enough." Nick said, and he added, "So, she is really making therapy while in prison?"

"As per court orders. Prison time with therapy, if she ever wants to have hope of a parole." The pig said, and then continued with the regulations:

"You are not the only one visiting an inmate here, so you are to be as quiet as possible. This means, no yelling, no screaming and no cursing. That is, of course, for both of you." The pig continued, when they arrived in front of the door. Another boar was in there, and he approached with a metal detector. Nick soon was spreading his arms and legs to allow himself to be scanned.

"You are to be orderly and dignified during the visit, as not to cause a scene." The pig continued. "Either you or her can end the visit at any time by calling the guard. If any of you behaves in an inappropriate way or start to make a scene in there, an officer will end the visit immediately. Is all of that clear, Officer Wilde?" The pig asked, and Nick looked back at him before smiling his usual sly smirk.

"Clear as water, old buddy. So, shall we go see the devil in skirts?"

With this, Nick walked into the place followed from close by a boar. It was pretty much what you would expect to see from a police movie. The place was basically a long corridor with isles on each side, each isle led to a booth in which you were front to front with a bulletproof glass, with a telephone there that allowed you to talk to the inmate, who would be on the other side of the glass.

"On the left, the second-to-last booth" the boar informed, and Nick nodded, silently going his way.

As he walked, Nick saw that he definitely was not the only one making a visit to someone in that jail that day. There were other mammals in there, talking to their friends or relatives, who were inmates in there. Nick did not tried to eavesdrop into their talks, and neither he wanted to pry, this was not his business, still, his sharp senses, developed by years of being by his own on the streets, allowed him to somehow perceive what was going on, even though he didn't paid true attention to any of it.

Walking over, Nick soon reached the booth that he had been point at by the boar. Second-to-last one on the left. It was a smaller size of booth, one made for animals around his own size, as well as Judy's and, of course, the one mammals he had come in there to see.

Speaking of the wooly devil…

She was in there. It was possible to see that wooly ball of fluff on top of her head over the table on the other side of the bulletproof glass. Soon, urged on by the female pig officer by her side, and she climbed into the chair, while Nick sat on his own chair, and could take a good look at her in the first time in over a year.

She was only half the size of a regular ewe, with a big pom-pom like ball of wool on the top of her head, and with her big and floppy ears. She was now wearing an orange-colored set of clothing, with a nametag on her shirt. The glasses were the same, however, big and round and with a red framing, and behind then, her green eyes looked at the fox, in a cold way.

Yep, it was Dawn Bellwether all right.

The female pig said something – what Nick was not able to hear due to the thick glass separating the booths – to the sheep, who didn't even looked at her, before she walked out of sight. Nick had the feeling that she was still in the background, ready for anything.

For a long moment, they just looked at each other, Nick with indifference, and Bellwether with contempt, but both of them equally cold.

_Okay, enough of that. _Nick thought as he reached out for the phone on the booth and took it to his ear. Bellwether continued to look at him for a moment, before she slowly reached out for the phone and took it, before she slowly took it close to her own hear and mouth.

Soon, for the first time in a long time, Nick was wearing the voice of that dreaded ewe, and she spoke very frostily to him:

"_Fox…_"

Nick looked back at her, before he spoke:

"Sheep… So, now that the bleeding obvious is out of the way, I would like to have a word with you."

The sheep looked at him, and Nick could see a lot in her eyes. He could see, for instant, a lot of contempt that was directed at him. Nick had seen a lot of that during the time of her trial, before they put her away. The sheep continued to look at him for a while, before she spoke.

"_So… How is Judy?_"

"She is fine." Nick said to her, "Not thanks to your attempts against her life, you know."

She looked at him, and for a moment, Nick thought he had seen a fickle of what seemed to be guilt in her eyes. The sheep blinked, and took a hand to her head, letting out a groan that Nick could hear through the phone. She recovered quickly, though, and now a cold assertiveness was in her eyes.

"_It was her own fault._" Bellwether said. "_I did tried to make her understand, but she was insistent on siding with you chompers. She really gave me no choice._"

_Now that's the psychotic sheep I know._ Nick thought as he continued to look at the sheep, and soon, Bellwether was changing the subject.

"_So, I was surprised when they told me that _you_, out of all mammals, wanted to see me._" She looked at the fox with her eyes, and Nick only looked back at her. "_So… does this has a reason, or you just wanted to see me wearing the jail uniform, fox?_"

Nick looked at her, and he had to admit, a part of him was quite of pleased for seeing that evil sheep who tried to turn him into a savage and kill his best friend in jail. Still, he had come in here for a reason. He had come for information.

"Say, Dawn… can I call you Dawn?"

If looks could kill, Nick would be one very dead fox with the glare that the sheep was giving him at that moment.

"Anyway, have you seen the news lately?"

"_They allow us to see two hours of tv a day, mostly to see soap operas and sports programs, but we do see the news once in a while. Besides, you know how they can smuggle radios and miniature tvs in here._"

"Any chance you saw something about a busting to a ring of illegal fighting?"

"_Kind of. Bunch of mammals in an old warehouse watching a fight._" She said, confirming that she truly knew what Nick was talking about. "_Why do you ask? Think I might have something to do with it? Because I don't, I have far more class than that._"

"Well, the thing is…" Nick said, as he leaned forward, and said in the phone. "There was something that happened in there, and I think that you might know something about it."

"_Really?_" Bellwether asked, "_And what would it be, fox? Because I can assure you I would have nothing to do with such events._"

"It is about two animals I met in there." The fox said, "One of which said something much interesting regarding your name."

This peaked Bellwether's interest.

"_Really? What did they said?_"

"Something on the line of 'Bellwether's arrest by the mundanes does not changes her power in the city', or something of the like."

Bellwether perked into her seat, looking intently at the fox. It seemed that this had _really_ caught her attention.

"Oh, you know something of what they are talking about?" Nick said, noticing the change in her behavior. "So, does that means anything to you?"

The sheep continued to look at him, and she said, "_Did they spoke anything else?_" The tune that she used was not hostile, but was inquisitive, as if she was the one who was interrogating Nick in the matter.

"Well, the tiger I talked with said a few more things." Nick admitted. "He called me a 'freelancer', and said that I shouldn't 'use the name of the Wilde clan'. Does any of that say something to you?"

Bellwether kept looking at him, and she looked down, and she seemed to be thinking. Could it be that she was reflecting either or not she should reveal something to the fox?

"_So, he just came to you and told you these things?_" The sheep asked. Nick didn't quite liked the direction things were taking, and he wanted to keep it on track.

"Look, I really would like some answers." Nick said to her, "The tiger seems to think that you still have power over the city even from jail, and I want to know why, also, if I should be worried about it."

The sheep continued to stare at him. "_I can end this at any moment, I just need to call the guard._" The sheep said, "_You have come here to see me, so it just says how much you want your 'answers'. But I don't just give things to others._" Bellwether said, "_So… you want me to tell you things, you will have to tell me things before._"

Nick looked at her, and he pondered what he should do at that moment. The sheep seemed like she knew something, by the way she acted, and she seemed to want to know what Nick knew. That much the fox could tell, and the idea of giving something to that evil sheep, either it was an information or a sliver of bubblegum, was something that really bothered the fox. However, Nick knew that he needed his answers, and he had exhausted his own resources.

What would she even be able to do with such information, in first place?

Sighing, Nick decided to tell her a bit more. He gave her a very brief explaining of how he first met the two mammals days before. About what he had eavesdropped, and about how they vanished.

"That is basically it." Nick admitted to her. "I found it strange at the moment, but I kind of forgot it. I had other things to worry. The Darkest Hour happened on that night. You know what is the Darkest Hour, right?"

"_I might be in jail, but I'm not ignorant._" Bellwether said, and she said: "_I know what happened in Fangtropolis. It was a time when they allowed us extra tv time, we were going to watch the concert when we saw it happening. I saw … I saw them all dying … I know that these… that these mammals all._" Bellwether said, and she seemed to have a troubled expression. She winced and took a hoof to her head.

Nick perked a little at this, and he looked at her.

She took a few moments to recover, and now her look was icy as she looked back at the fox.

"_But still._" She said to him, _"The city was mostly inhabited by savages. It is not like the loss was that great._" She had a small smile as she said this, "_Quite convenient that it happened right when they were celebrating for them, right? Guess their plans for the Pred-Pride Concert didn't pan out._"

Nick gave her a very icy look, as he struggled to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"Going back to subject." The fox said, "Do you know anything of what these two were talking? About the 'ley lines', or 'clans'?"

"_You would really like to know, wouldn't you?_" Bellwether said, and she seemed to take pleasure in knowing that she had something that Nick wanted. "_Do you want to know what the strange mammals were talking about so you think that this way you will be able to understand what's going on._"

She was testing him. Nick knew that, but right now, the fox had little patient for this.

"Look, you can be in the mood for games, but I am not. I have seen some pretty messed up stuff, and I want to understand what is going on. So you can either talk to me, or I can turn around and leave now, but don't waste my time, okay?"

Nick was as objective and clear as possible, and the ewe on the other side of the glass was now looking at him. Her expression was one of mild surprise. For a moment, Nick thought that she was just surprised that he had decided to set the path of the conversation by being assertive. However, it was only then that Nick realized that he had made somewhat of a mistake.

"_What have you seen?_"

Nick could have groaned at his own mistake, but he was still keeping his front.

"Oh, I see a lot of things, Bellwether. Not many of them I would like to share with you."

"_What have you seen?_" The ewe insisted, and the expression on her face made it clear that she was not going to let go of that specific matter.

"Just give me some information, okay?"

"_Tell me what you have seen!_"

"Why should I?"

"_Because otherwise I'll leave now and let you to wonder if you really saw what you saw or if you are going mad!_"

The ewe knew how to make a point, and the fact that she had said that was something that somehow confirmed to Nick that she indeed knew something.

Nick once more weighted if he should either tell her or not.

It was not of her business, seriously, but again, she would have no use to what he would say to her (as far as he knew). If anything, she was not going to believe him. Nick could care if she was someone he was close to and whose opinion he valued. However, she was just the criminal who had tried to tear the city apart. Who cared about her opinion? Nick surely didn't.

The fox took a look around, to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. He then leaned back over the desk of his booth, and whispered to the ewe on the phone.

"Okay. Here is what I saw…"

Nick knew that giving information on ongoing investigations was a serious fault an officer could make, especially when giving them to someone like Bellwether, who was a convicted criminal, still serving her jail time. Still, Nick knew very well that what he was telling her would not be in the official version, so the chances of it coming back to bite him were minimal. Also, it was very likely that no one would believe her if she tried to use it against him, as all he had to do was deny it.

Nick gave her a very brief resume of what he had witnessed, including the magic butterfly, the coyote with his rope, and the tiger who exploded the ground by stomping.

"… and Wolfard seems like he doesn't remember any of it." Nick finished. "As if they have scrambled his memory or something."

Bellwether had remained silent as Nick talked, and she looked at the fox very intently as he finished explaining. Her expression had morphed while Nick explained. From inquisition, she had gone into shock. Then she slowly morphed into a cold seriousness as she looked intently at the fox.

"So, do you think I'm crazy or not?" Nick asked her. The ewe continued to look at him, her face serious and stony.

"_Have you told about it to anyone?_" She asked him. "_Have you told Judy?_"

"Can you tell me something about all of that or not?" Nick pressed on. "What was that? Who were these two? What the heck is going on?"

Bellwether looked at him for a few moments. Then she sighed, putting her head down and shaking it slightly. Nick looked at her, and he could hear her muttering something on the other line. It was hard to understand for she was mumbling, but Nick could notice that she seemed distraught over something.

At some point, Bellwether winced slightly, as she took a hoof to her head once more. She trembled a little bit, but soon, she calmed down, and Nick now could make out better what she was saying:

"_I have to do it._" Nick heard her through the phone. "_This is not some occasion of personal gain. It is a serious matter… I have to do it, the fox has seen too much… I need to do it… He have seen too much…_"

The way she spoke made Nick really nervous.

The ewe soon raised her eyes, and she was now looking at the fox, as she reached out and removed her glasses, letting Nick stare directly (if you don't count the bulletproof glass) in her lime-green eyes.

"_Nicholas…_" Bellwether said, as sweetly as she could, "_You have seen such strange things… You are so worried about them… You need to relax._"

"H-hey. Hey! What are you doing?" Nick said, and the ewe continued.

"_So much trouble, so much worry… You need to stop worrying about it… It is not worth that much worry. It is not worthy putting you through this turmoil… You need to let it go… To forget it… Just listen to me and forget it all, let it all go… You can trust me, Nicholas._"

Nick stared at her, and for a moment he had the impression that his vision as blurring. However, this passed as soon as Nick blinked, and he now looked intently at the ewe that was looking at him.

"Oh, you mean, trusting the crazy ewe who tried to make me murder my friend? What about, no?"

Bellwether looked at him for a while, surprised.

"_This… this should have… How? You don't have…_" She said, but she stopped herself, and she looked at the fox. _"Are… are your circuits open?_"

"My… circuits?" Nick asked her.

"_No, no, this can't be… They wouldn't have allowed you to simply go if you… If they knew… Did she lied?_"

"Wait, who lied?" Nick said, trying to get answers. "If who knew what? What the heck are you talking about?"

Bellwether looked intently at the fox, and Nick knew it by looking in her eyes.

"You know exactly what is going on, don't you?"

She said nothing, and kept looking at the fox, as if _she_ was the one trying to figure him out.

"_The most fundamental basis is that you must be able to let them open and realize the exchange between yourself and the world around you._" Bellwether said to him, making Nick look confused at her. "_Does that phrase means anything to you, fox?_"

Nick stared at the ewe for a while.

"Okay, is that a guessing game? Because I don't have the slightest idea of what you just said could mean."

Bellwether scoffed, "_Then there is nothing to talk between you and me, fox._" She said to him, "_You should just forget what you saw and try to move on with your normal life, just like she did._"

Nick looked at the ewe, and she continue to look at him.

"_Yeah, you should just give up on everything and go on for a 'normal life', just like she did…_" The ewe continued, and her face was hardened. However, she blinked a little, her expression softening as she looked down. "_She did deserved it… to have a normal life… after all she'd been through… S-she was so nice to me… GAH!_"

Suddenly, Bellwether flinched hard as she grabbed the side of her head, groaning. Nick blinked as he looked at the ewe. She remained like that for a few moments, nearly a minute, actually, before she rose her head to look at Nick again.

"_Then again, she was weak._" Bellwether continued, her face once more hardened. "_For a chomper, she just wasn't fit for it. It is actually no surprise that you aren't either._" She was looking straight at Nick. "_If you did got involved you would probably be dead within a day, and they would never find your corpse._"

The tone of her was very condescending, and Nick didn't quite liked it. Not to mention how weird that ewe seemed to be acting…

"Yeah, I guess you should add some hours to that mandatory therapy of yours." Nick said to her. "Either that or get a new therapist, because this one is probably not good."

She stopped smiling after Nick said that.

"I mean, you have been acting even more deranged than you seemed the last time I saw you, so I guess that therapist is not really helping. Did he got his degree paper from a cereal box, or something?"

"_DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!"_

The ewe's explosion was so sudden that Nick almost dropped his phone. The ewe was now standing on her chair as she looked at the fox with hate in her eyes.

"_Don't you dare talk like that about Krys!_" She said to him, her voice dripping with anger. "_He was the only one in here who was nice to me! The only one who tried to help me in any way! He is the only… huhh._"

The Ewe interrupted her tirade as she took a hoof to her head once more, and Nick was now looking at her. Not only that, but so was the prison warden that brought the ewe, and some of the prisoners who had gotten startled by her outburst, and now were looking to see what it was about.

"_H-he was nice to me… but he is just another…_" The ewe said, as she was shaking her head and groaning. "_He helped me. He was nice to me… But he is just another one… B-but he is always trying to help me, even though I am mean to him… H-he deserves me to be mean, but still he tries to help me, and is so kind and thoughtful… But he is still… h-he is still a…_"

Nick could hardly hear anything else, for in that moment, the ewe finally dropped her phone. Now she was on her knees with both hooves on her head. She was doubling over and she seemed like she was in great pain.

Nick could only look at her as the officer came and soon was taking the ewe away. Nick remained in the spot, and as he stared at the empty chair from which the ewe had just been taken, he was only able to think one thing:

_What the eff just happened?_

* * *

"Just what did you say to make her get like that?" The pig said as Nick was walked across the corridors. "They had to take her straight to the medical wing, saying that she was frantic."

"Beats me." Nick said to the pig. "I just asked her some questions and then she started to act strange." Nick said. "By the way, she was really strange back then, she kept having headaches. Maybe you guys should check her up."

"We already are." The pig said, "Oh, Wilde, I don't know what you two talked about, but it certainly made her really nervous. I can already imagine what her therapist is going to say-"

"You don't have to imagine." Said a voice from in front of them, and the two mammals stopped to look at the mammal that was in front of them.

The canine-like animal was about as tall as Nick, standing on around four feet tall, and his built was slim. He was wearing a brown coat, with a white shirt and black social pants. The fur on his head was reddish-orange, with white on his muzzle and down his neck, and the fur on his paws – which had black fingerless gloves in them – and feet was of a darker shade than the fur on his head. He was carrying a bag on his shoulder, and he had a long and bushy tail with a white tip. There was an extra scruff of fur on the back of his neck and head, which had been tied with little "pigtails". The fox's eyes were of a pale-yellow coloration, and they looked intently at the two animals.

"Mr. Pigford." The fox said, looking at the pig, who shrunk a little bit. "What is that I heard about my patient having a nervous crisis due to a visitation?"

"Oh… I-I, I just… I-it was… huhhh."

While the pig seemed to try and come with an explanation, Nick could only stare at the mammal in front of him.

_He is a fox… He is a therapist and he is a fox like me! And he is Dawn Bellwether's therapist! Oh, crap…_

Nick then noticed that the other fox was looking intently at him.

"Must I assume that you are the one who caused Bellwether to have a nervous crisis?" He asked, his tone professional, but his gaze icy. Nick all of sudden felt small under the gaze of the other fox, however, he managed to cover it up with his usual attitude, and he said:

"Maybe… Actually, I just talked to her a bit and she suddenly started to act strange. I assume that her therapy still needs some time to pay off." As Nick said that, the gaze of the other fox became even icier.

"So, I guess you two don't know each other yet, right?" The pig said, trying to break the tension that was building in between the two animals. "This is Officer Nick Wilde, of the ZPD, you probably heard of him already from Bellwether." He said to the fox in coat, and he continued:

"Wilde, this is Dc. Krystin Mieczyslaw. He is Dawn Bellwether's appointed therapist."

"Wha- 'Mitch sauve'?" Nick said, and the other fox was quick to correct him:

"Mieczyslaw. Me-etch-ee-sauve. M-I-E-C-Z-Y-S-L-A-W." The expression of the fox was indifferent as he explained it, and Nick continued to look at him.

"Man… that surely is a mouthful. Is it Zuusian or something?"

"Is Polish, Officer Wilde." The fox continued, "Now, if I might ask you: what was that you did to my patient to make her have a crisis?"

"Me? I did nothing." Nick said, trying to look as innocent as possible. "I'm just in there, talking to her, and all of sudden she acts like her head is hurting. Maybe the wool has started growing to inside of her skull, that would explain a lot of things."

The doctor continued to look at the fox. He seemed completely unimpressed and unamused.

"What exactly did you two talked about?" The fox asked, and Nick shrugged.

"Well, you can ask her yourself during the therapy. By the way you should try something new, because I think that whatever you are doing is not exactly working."

"So, Officer Wilde was just leaving." The pig tried to say. "Bellwether is just being checked, you can go and check on her yourself, it you want, Doctor." The pig looked like he was trying to avoid a situation from escalating, but the other fox was fixated in Nick.

"So, you really think that she is not progressing?" He asked the other fox, and his expression was not very positive. Nick said nothing, and the other tod sighed, "Yeah, I had an impression like that… I feel that we make progress, but all of sudden it is like something goes wrong and there is a set back… I just don't understand…"

The air sudden got heavier, and it seemed that the other fox was not satisfied with his work. After all, he was a therapist, and his job was to help the patients improve and feel better. Something that seemed not to be working with Bellwether, if what Nick saw was of any indication.

The fox sighed. "Guess I'm not a good therapist after all."

Nick looked at the vulpine, and as a fellow fox, he could not help but feel for him somehow.

"Well, you are not a _bad_ therapist." Nick said, "At least, Bellwether don't think so, seeing how she tried to defend you."

This caught the tod's attention, making he look up at Nick.

"Dawn- I mean, Bellwether defended me?"

Nick looked at him, and he was a little bit awkward in this. "Yeah, she did… You see, I might have made some commentaries about your work with her, and she didn't took it nicely. She told me to back off, or at least she tried."

"Tried?" The doctor asked. "What do you mean by '_tried'_?"

"Well, it seemed like she wanted to defend you." Nick admitted to him. "But then she started getting strange. She was talking strange and it seemed like she was having a brute headache. She kept trying to say nice things about you and it got worse…" Nick said, and soon, he was saying something that was on his mind, even if it seemed to be strange.

"It was like trying to defend you made her head hurt."

There was a brief silence, and Nick simply shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that what happens if you hate predators as much as she does. Maybe you should try working along these lines with her." Nick said, in a playful tone.

"… yeah…" The fox said, seeming like he was in deep thought. "Maybe I should…" He was looking at the ground, and he started walking down the hallway, passing by both mammals as if he had forgotten of their existence. Nick noticed that while he was walking he seemed that he was mumbling something.

The two mammals walked as the fox in a coat walked down the hallway. Both of them in silence as they looked at this.

"Is he like that normally?" Nick asked, and Pigford looked at him, and shrugged.

"They say that he is eccentric, but very good. Or at least I was told." He said to the fox. "Do you believe he came all the way from Roarope only to be Bellwether's exclusive therapist?" The pig said, and this, of course, got Nick interested.

He looked at the walking tod a bit more as he walked down the hallway, before Nick and Pigford both went their own way down the hallway.

As they turned to leave, they failed to notice that the doctor had stopped and was now looking over his shoulder at them.

No. Not at _them_.

Dc. Mieczyslaw was looking very intently at Nick as the other fox walked down the hallway.

* * *

That trip had not been very much like Nick had expected. But again, Nick was not really sure of what he was really expecting of this.

Nick never truly understood why Bellwether had added him in her visiting list. Maybe because she hoped that he would one day come so she could see him in the eyes? Maybe she was a bit of a masochist?

Nick also wouldn't discard the possibility that the ewe had so little close people that she would include the fox who helped bring her down into the list of people who she would like to come and see her.

Still, Nick had decided to use it on his favor after his other attempts in finding answers proved fruitless. He decided it based only on what the tiger had said about Bellwether. It was a longshot, but it was still something.

The visitation has left Nick with more questions than before, and few answers (if any at all).

The ewe knew something, that much Nick was sure. The way that she spoke, and the things that she said. Nick could not make sense of most of it, but he still knew that she knew something.

Could he had been able to make her talk a bit more if he had put a little more pressure? Would she even want to talk to him and give him any form of answer? And what was that she tried to do when she told him to forget the thing and move on with his normal life? What was she even talking about when she mentioned "her"? Who even was "her"?

As Nick walked into the Zuber that had just arrived, the fox could only think that this trip did not gave him the kind of information that he wanted. Well, at least there was no negative repercussions on this little fieldtrip.

His cellphone dinged, and Nick soon was looking at it, to see that he had received a message from Judy.

_NICK! THE CHIEF RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM BELLWETHER'S THERAPIST SAYING THAT YOU WENT TO BOARWOOD TO HARASS HER! YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!_

Oh, crud…


	10. Talk Between Friends & the Memorial

"I can't believe that you did something like that, Nick! What were you thinking?"

Seeing Bellwether was not something that Nick had considered nice or pleasant, but still, the fox thought that he almost preferred that to what he was facing now.

Apparently, right after stopping by him in the hallway of Boarwood, the fox therapist with the long foreign name made a call to Chief Bogo's particular extension to complain about Nick going to harass his patient. How he had Bogo's particular extension was something that was beyond Nick.

The Chief, as they said, had apparently not taken it nicely. He wanted to fox to come back and to explain himself, until he was remembered that Nick had finished his shift already and that he had gone on his way to his off-duty time.

This seemed to have prevented the buffalo of going after Nick and dragging him to his office by the tail to give him a good talking down about the matter. Still, the big bovine made sure to tell Wilde that in the following day, as soon as he was back at work, he was going to pass by his office for a long talk on the matter.

However, the talk he as more afraid of was the one that he seemed to be about to have:

Bogo had not been the only one that had not been really happy with what Nick had done. His little bunny partner also didn't liked the way that Nick had acted.

Judy had become really surprised for hearing that Nick had went to visit Bellwether in the prison, and that he had (according to what she heard) harassed and bullied her until she had a nervous semi-breakdown.

All of that was unlike Nick, and she could not really picture Nick bullying anyone, not even the same ewe that nearly tore the city apart and nearly turned him into a savage. This was totally unbefitting of the Nick she knew, and that there was someone claiming that Nick had done it was something that troubled her.

She was sure to let it clear to Nick when she met him again, after she was done with her work and, consequently, with her shift, now being just as off-duty as Nick. She had met him in his apartment, and she was now having a conversation with him.

"Honestly, I cannot believe that you actually would do something like that." Judy said as she walked from side to side in front of Nick, who sat in his couch, looking like a kit caught painting the walls. This was something that Judy had the ability to do to others, to make them feel guilty about themselves for doing something that they had considered to be wrong. She was really good at calling others out for their faults. She had gotten particularly good at it since their first meeting.

"Going to Boarwood to harass Bellwether?" Judy said, and Nick immediately had to defend himself.

"I didn't go to harass her!"

"Then why did you go?"

Nick looked at her, and these amethyst eyes were nearly piercing as they focused on the fox. It was not the kind of hostile piercing that Nick had received many times during the course of his life, but it was an inquisitive one, one that insisted for the fox to answer.

However, Nick was not sure of how to answer.

"I… I wanted to talk to her." Nick said, looking at his own feet.

"Talk to her about…?" Judy asked, and Nick could not really answer that. Not without causing many more questions to be asked.

Judy sighed, she continued to walk around, and her face was serious as she walked. Nick ventured to look up at a moment, and he saw her expression. However, this was not an expression of someone who was angry or annoyed, it was more like… a worried parent.

Nick knew that because he had seen that same look on his own mother's face a more than a few times while he was growing up, after he had started to make poor life choices. It was the look of someone who was worried about someone else, and wanted to help, but somehow couldn't, because the person would not let themselves be helped.

Seeing Judy like that made the fox few bad, for many different reasons, and this really did made Nick want to say something, to tell her something…

"It was about those mammals I saw in the busting." Nick said, and this made Judy stop and look at him, inquisitive. "About the tiger and coyote."

Judy knew what he was talking about.

It was about these two mammals who had been in there during the fight, the ones who had have a meeting with Nick days earlier from that night, and that had been the very ones that gave them a lead that took them to the fight. The same ones that had, as per an incredible coincidence, been in there on the same night, and both had stopped at Nick's table before the fight started, and had tried to attack both Nick and Wolfard.

To hear that the same mammals had been the responsible for this was something that had truly caught Judy's attention. As soon as Nick had confirmed that he had indeed saw the tiger and coyote before, and that they were the same ones of the alley on that day, she had made her mind that she would help to find them.

She wanted to see these two caught to be able to look in their eyes for having attacked her partner. And also, to make sure that they would not try something like that again.

And now, Nick was saying that the reason why he went to Boarwood to talk to Bellwether had been because he wanted to ask to her about these two mammals in particular.

"Why do you think she would know anything about them?"

Nick looked at his partner, and he sighed. "Because… of what one of them said earlier."

Judy looked at Nick, and the fox explained to her what the tiger had spoken to him.

"He really said that?" Judy asked the fox, and Nick nodded. This was enough to put Judy to think for a bit.

Bellwether still had power even while being in jail? Could it be possible?

Of course, you always saw it in tv series and movies that some crime lords could still run their criminal operations and groups from inside jail. However, hearing about that in real life was rarer, because the mechanics of something like that were far too complex for it to be done as smoothly as they show on television.

Still, when you thought about all that Bellwether had done, imagining that she would still have supporters or minions out there, and that they could be working in here favor… the very idea unnerved Judy, because of what it could imply to the city, and to mammals like her and Nick.

"We need to take this to the Chief." Judy said, "It is unlikely, but if somehow Bellwether is still able to pull strings from inside the jail it is something that is worth of attention." She was deep in her introspection of the situation. "If that is really the case, then we need to arrange a warrant to keep watch over her visitation, and maybe on any phone call that she receives and that she makes. Maybe that could even lead to the arrest of co-conspirators that have not yet been caught, like Doug Ramses."

Nick looked as his bunny partner walked from side to side, evaluating everything. At one moment, she stopped, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she turned at the fox.

"When did the tiger told you that?" She asked him. "Was it back when you first saw him? Because you didn't mentioned that at the time. And it was not when you and Wolfard confronted him, because I'm sure he would have mentioned that." She looked at him, "Was it when they talked to you in the warehouse, wasn't it?"

Nick looked at her for a moment, and he knew that there was no escaping this now. Nick had indeed mentioned in his reports that the two mammals in question had talked to him, one at a time, in the warehouse, before the busting began. However, he had not really talked about the subjects of these talks, once no one truly asked him something like that. Also, that would lead to some more questions that Nick himself had no real way of answering. So, in that specific case, Nick had adopted the posture of "don't ask, don't tell", in regards to that specific subject.

However, now there was Judy, asking him directly on the matter and, by the look that she had on her face as she looked at him, it was clear she would not just let it slide.

Nick sighed, and merely nodded. Judy looked at her partner in a serious way.

"Nick!" She said to him, "You should have told about that! Even if he was only saying things to try to get you to react, you should have told that so we could evaluate and see if this was truth! This kind of information is meaningful!"

Nick could only look down as Judy dressed him down. It was not easy to hear, but it was still better than what Buffalo-Butt would give him if he found this out. Nick was lucky that this was his day off and the Chief still had business to do in the station, otherwise it would be the big bovine giving him a dressing down and a through near-interrogatory as he stood in front of him. Still, he would have to face the buffalo by Monday, and Judy's talk to him was merely a tame preview of what was coming. It was somehow hard to face, still.

The bunny sighed, and she looked at the fox. "Well, you gotta tell this to the Chief by Monday, he will surely want to hear this, and he will not take it lightly that you upheld information like that. You saw how he is mad at Wolfard, didn't you?" She asked, and Nick had no choice but to agree with her point. "I don't know why you thought you had to uphold it in the first place. Well, I hope that at least going to see Bellwether actually paid off. Did she said anything in the matter?"

"Nothing that gave me clear answers." Nick said, "I mean; I'm sure that she knows something, but the way that she talked was somehow even more cryptic than the guys. I left with more questions than when I got there."

Judy nodded as she took in that new information.

"Maybe we need to talk with her deeply over the subject."

Nick tensed a little bit. "Yeah… I don't think that will actually lead anywhere, Carrots." The fox said slowly, knowing that questioning Bellwether on the matter would cause her to say a few things that Nick would not be quite able to explain.

"We need to get information on the subject." Judy said to him, "If Bellwether knows things on these two mammals then this could be very meaningful for the case. We need all the information that we can get, and if she can give it to us then we have to find a way to make her talk more. Maybe we can go in there together this time." She said, and Nick definitely could notice that she was somehow upset that Nick went after the sheep for information without her. "Maybe together we have a better chance of getting her to actually talk."

"I really don't think we need, Carrots." Nick insisted to the bunny. "I mean, I already tried and it ended pretty badly, so I'm sure the wooly devil will not want to see my face again. Besides, I would not have gone for her if I had any success with the other information. She was pretty much my last resource, and I didn't truly liked having to go search for her help at all."

Judy looked at him for a few moments, and she asked:

"What did you mean 'if you had success with the other information'?"

Nick flinched internally. _Crap, what is up with me today?_

Judy looked intently at him, and the answer to her question was already starting to form in her head.

"Nick…" She said, looking intently at him, "Have you been doing a personal investigation?"

The fox said nothing, only looking at her for a few instants before looking at his own feet. This was more than enough for Judy, and she had to say she was surprised. This was the same fox who had, along with Chief Bogo, talked her out of conducting a personal investigation on the case of the Darkest Hour because it clearly was not good for her and this was something that she should not focus all of her time on.

He had been conducting some kind of personal investigation of his own, and he had even gone so far as to going for no other than ex-mayor Bellwether to see if he would be able to find any information pertaining his investigation. Moreover, he did all of that without Judy's knowledge, what led her to believe that he had been doing it in secret from everyone.

She looked at Nick, and the fox seemed to be unable to meet her eyes.

"For how long have you been investigating this?"

If anyone else had asked, Nick would probably have come up with a witty remark and found a way out of the subject. However, Judy did had a certain effect on him, and he found himself without resolve or willingness to try and talk his way out of the subject, even because he was pretty sure that Judy would not fall for any of that, she already knew him very well.

"Since the day following the busting." He said, and once he saw the expression on Judy's face, he was quick in trying to defend himself. "But I didn't used any resource of the ZPD that was beyond my reach! Seriously, I didn't went around showing my badge to people on the street and threatening to put them away if they didn't told me what I wanted to know! I just made some research and looked into the internet and into the files, you know, normal stuff."

"Nick, you were still making a personal investigation!" She said to him, "And you are doing it in secret from the rest of the Precinct, aren't you?" Once more Nick said nothing, once more looking at the ground and not answering, and this said more than a thousand words to Judy.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers, Nick! You know that the Chief might not like you accessing the ZPD files in secret for something personal like that? Especially if you are doing it during your shifts!"

Nick was unable to meet her gaze once more. Now he behaved just as if he was a kit caught with his paws in the cookie jar, and he could not really bring himself to make his usual snark remarks in a situation like that. He just let Judy continue with her tirade, and he would use the next pause she made to try and to defend himself.

"And you didn't even told me what you were doing…" The way Judy said that made Nick flinch, because she somehow sounded hurt. Nick rose his eyes to look at her, and the bunny was looking away from him. Nick had a raised eyebrow as he looked at her. Was that some kind of trick now?

"We were supposed to trust each other completely." She said, and Nick felt guilt building in the pit of his stomach as he saw the bunny being like that.

Judy was sensitive, and that was something that the fox had learned as they became closer. She was mostly strong and independent most of the time, so much that many would mistake her by one of these hardcore girls you see in series that isn't shaken over anything at all. However, Nick knew from experience that the bunny was a lot sensitive in the inside, and that she did get really upset over certain things.

"Carrots, come on." Nick said to her, "You know I trust you."

"Then why you did it without telling me?" Judy said.

"Didn't knew that we needed to tell each other everything we did." Nick said, trying to be snarky and to get himself out of problem, but Judy was quick to counter it.

"We do when it is something so important that we have the need to investigate it." She said to him, "I told you as soon as I started to look into the Fangtropolis event. I even asked you to help me. You didn't accepted, but you still knew what I was doing, I didn't hid anything from you."

She had a point, and Nick knew that.

"I told you that because I trust you completely." She spoke to him. "Because I felt that I needed to let you know what I was doing."

Nick could not really answer to that. He wasn't even sure if there was an actual answer for something like that. He only kept looking at her as she looked back at him.

"I at least expected that you would do the same if you ever was in a situation like that…" She looked away once more. "Maybe I was wrong… maybe you don't trust me as much as I trust you."

Nick's eyes widened to that.

"I do!" Nick nearly barked, making Judy jump slightly. "Carrots… Judy, I do trust you." Nick said to her. "I do trust you like I trust few mammals in my life, including my own mother."

Judy looked at him as he spoke that.

"Is it just that…" Nick stopped, and he pondered at what he was going to say. "This whole thing is… is so complicated."

"Complicated how?" Judy asked him. "Two animals coming to you and saying meaningful things is strange?"

"A lot of things about these two are strange." Nick said, "The things they do, the things they talk about. And… all the rest."

"What rest?" Judy said, "Nick, what are you talking about?" Judy insisted as she looked at him. "Nick, you just said you trust me, but I'm pretty sure that you are hiding something."

"Yes. I mean…" Nick said, and as Judy looked at him, Nick reflected on what he was about to say to her, and he knew that he had to say something. "I… I am hiding something right now… about these two and the strange things I'm talking about, but it is not because I don't trust you… Is because…"

Nick sighed.

"Is because I'm sure that no one would believe me if I told it."

Judy blinked and looked at him. "No one would believe you? What do you mean?"

Nick said nothing, and Judy soon was taking her own conclusions.

"What, you mean, because you are a fox? Is it about McChill? Oh, please, Nick! Nothing he says about foxes has any base! Is all bigotry! You can't let it-"

"It is not about McChill." Nick said, cutting her off, and making her look at him once more. "And it is not about me being a fox either. It is because…" The fox made yet another pause, and he thought of what he was about to say. "It is because it is truly crazy."

"Crazy?" Judy asked him, coking her head. "How 'crazy'?"

"The kind of crazy that literally no one would ever believe if I told them." Nick said after a long pause. There was a brief silence, and Nick ventured to look at the bunny, who was looking at him with a questioning gaze.

"Nick, what do you mean?"

Nick looked at the bunny.

"Nick, I need to know. Please, tell me."

"You would not believe me." Nick said to her. "If I tell you, you will either think I'm making it up or you will want to put me into a straitjacket."

"What? No!"

"Yes, you will!" Nick said to her, "Dammit, I would probably do the same if someone told me that!"

There was a heavy silence following these words, and for a while, no one said a thing. Judy continued to look at Nick. The fox didn't met her gaze, but he could feel that she was still looking at him. Soon, Nick felt something landing on his paw, and he finally looked over to see Judy's kind eyes.

"Nick. I trust you." She said to him. "Please, have a little trust in me too."

The way that she was speaking made it hard for Nick to have the heart to discuss with her.

Darn adorable bunny faces!

"Nick, please tell me."

That was all Nick could take. The fox's reasonable mind was still telling him that this was a bad idea, that she would either smack him and demand the truth or call the madhouse and have him put in there. Still, Nick felt that he had no other choice but to open up with her and hope that she would believe him.

Sighing, the fox said. "Judy, do you know what Wolfard and I put on our official reports about what happened after we chased Kyle and his hencemammals?"

"Yes, I do." Judy said to him. "I read these reports."

"Yeah… the thing is… the things that I actually remember of that might not exactly match up what Wolfard described…"

Judy looked at him, and Nick soon was telling her what he saw in there.

He told her about the butterfly.

About Hudson Coyle with his magic rope.

About the tiger.

About how they got away.

And, of course, about his suspicions that they had, somehow, changed Wolfard's memories.

"…So, that is it." Nick finished, and he looked at Judy's face.

The way she looked at him, with a raised eyebrow, made Nick groan.

"See? I told you would not believe me!" The fox said, slumping into the couch. "You know, I don't blame you. I still can't believe it either!"

Silence seemed to be something that happened a lot in that room during that talk. This one lasted for almost an entire minute, before Judy spoke.

"Nick… I read both your report and Wolfard's." She spoke it with care, as if she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. "They both said pretty much the same story."

"That is because I wrote my report to match what he said." Nick admitted to the bunny. "It might have been forging my own report, but I had to! I could not write something as what I just told you as my official version of the facts, even more after I saw that Wolfard was not going to back up my story! If I did, they would yell at me for making such a joke! And if I convinced them that this was what I really thought that happened, I would be getting dragged to a padded room wearing a very snug straitjacket! I'm no fool, Carrots!"

Another pregnant pause, and Nick just was counting the moments before Judy would do either of these things.

However, the bunny simply looked at him.

"This is… quite something…"

"I know."

"And it truly is hard to believe."

"I know."

"And if others heard it, they would probably not be inclined to believe it either."

"I know…" Nick said in a defeated tune.

"So… maybe we should avoid telling it to anyone for now."

Nick perked in the couch, and he looked at the bunny, as she looked back at him.

"… At least, until we know exactly what is going on…"

Nick blinked as he looked at the bunny. Part of him was shocked that she had took what he said, even with it was with a grain of salt. Part of him was happy that someone at least seemed willing to give him a chance, even if his story sounded crazy. Part of him was somewhat surprised that Judy was even considering keeping something secret from her boss and co-workers.

"The story itself is hard to believe." Judy said, "And you are right into thinking that many would doubt it. So, until we have found strong evidence that explains it, we will have to keep it low from everyone."

Nick blinked again as he looked at her.

"… We?"

"Yes, Nick. _We_." Judy said to him, as if she was explaining it to a child. "We are partners, remember? If you are still going on to this, then I'm helping you. Because that is what partners… no, that is what _friends_ do for each other."

Nick was a tod who was used to hide his emotions and his thoughts behind a mask. However, even he found it hard to put his mask on, with the way that the bunny was making it clear that she was going to be by his side. Only true friends acted like that, and this was something that, for a fox like Nick, was something truly rare. Of course, he made many new acquaintances by entering the force and gaining many "brothers in blue", but he still had the feeling that some of them just tolerate him. Being once more reassured that he had at least one _real_ friend in the force was truly a nice thing for him.

"That… makes a lot of sense." Nick finally admitted, adopting a calm front and trying not to let it show how touched he was. "Still, this means that we will have to keep things hidden from the Chief, and you know how upset he is going to get if he finds out."

"Don't worry about the Chief." Judy reassured him. "As soon as we have evidence and we present the case to him, I'm pretty sure that he will understand why we had to keep it hidden for a while… I think. Or at least he will not want to fire us."

"We, let's keep our fingers crossed on that one." Nick said, showing the crossed fingers on his paw, and the bunny smiled at him, before saying:

"Nick, this kind of thing can raise a lot of questions if others are to get word of what we are looking into." She spoke to him in all seriousness. "It could land both of us in a tight situation, so I must ask you this:" She looked intently in his eyes. "Are you absolutely sure of what happened? Don't you have any doubt whatsoever?"

Nick looked back at her, and he said with a face that was just as serious:

"Judy, I know what I saw."

If he had just used her real name, Judy knew that he was truly serious at this. This was enough for her, and she nodded at him.

"Okay then. Now, let's go through this." Judy said to him. "We need to write down as many details as you remember of that event, and we need to look at them in parts, trying to find answers to anything that you could have possible seen. From there, maybe we could go for theories on what could that have been…"

"Actually, Carrots." Nick said, causing Judy to stop and look at him. "I was thinking of taking the day off to relax, if that is okay with you."

Judy stared at him.

"Look, I'm still keen on finding out what I saw, but right now I think we should take a small break." Nick admitted to the bunny. "I mean, we both had a very long week, and we both know what excess work can do to a mammal. I already went against my principles by going to that prison on Sunday while I was off-duty. I was wondering if we could relax now. Just take a day off and try to think of other things, so we can go back at it on full force later. Sounds good?"

Judy looked at him for a while, and even though she wanted to argue with him, she knew that he had a point. Even Bogo didn't liked their officers working too much time in a row, because it "diminished their efficiency", even the big buffalo recognized the importance of rest. Judy remembered a time that she was told to go home and rest after she spent three days in a row doing extra shifts. That was a time when she got a scare when the Chief told her to beat it and go home.

Sighing, Judy walked to Nick, hopped into the couch, and sat next to him.

"So, what do we do?" She asked.

"Well, I was thinking on watching some movies." Nick said, reaching out for the remote. "I mean, we do have a day when we watch movies, right? And we haven't done that since… last week."

Judy nodded, and with this, Nick pointed at the tv and turned it on.

As per irony:

A familiar shepherd was on the tv, wearing a white shirt and talking on a mic to the camera.

"_… and behind me, you can see the many mammals who had come to this gathering in the outskirts of what once was Fangtropolis, for the memorial of the victims of the tragedy that came to be known as 'The Darkest Hour'._"

* * *

Henry didn't liked having to go back in there.

He didn't liked to have to be in there, looking at the remains of what once was a proud and beautiful city. He didn't liked to be in a place where many innocent mammals had lost their lives in the most horrible and unimaginable way. He didn't liked being in the place where he had lost one of his colleagues and dearest friends…

However, the bosses had sent him to cover live on the memorial for the victims of Fangtropolis. Henry had been tasked with it, just as the rest of the team that was on the place in the night that it happened…

Well, most of the team.

The cougar who piloted the helicopter had quit his job in the morning after, just like the antelope cameramammal.

Two of them were out on mental health leave.

One had vehemently refused to go back in there, saying that the place was "evil".

Still, most of the team had come, including Gilda. The big bear was in there, in the background. Standing proud on her seven feet tall, with her arms crossed, and wearing a dark-grey dress that made a nice contrast with her dark-brown fur. She had a professional look in her face as she oversaw the entire thing, her amber eyes focused on Henry as he continued:

"Today it completes one week ever since the disaster of the destruction of Fangtropolis. The searches for survivors have all but ended, a number of 48 survivors was found among the destruction of the city, predator and prey alike." The 5'4'' feet tall, brown and black coated Germanein shepherd dog continued, as he looked at the camera. "Today, a memorial is being held by many mammals who have come to pay their respects for the many victims of the Darkest Hour. Mammals from many nearby cities have come in here, and we think that the numbers are probably reaching the thousands. Some say that this event could have been one of the most catastrophic developments in this country in the past decades, with a total number of around eight million victims of all kinds and species."

"Up until now, there are no official answers to what this event could have been, while the government remains silent, the scientists are still puzzled, and the overall population still waits for answers." Henry said, and he looked at the camera for a few moments, before he spoke:

"Just what was this supernatural event known as the Darkest Hour? What could have been its cause? Those are some of the questions that we are waiting to see answered. Here is Henry Dogbert, back to you, studio."

"Aaand cut." Gilda said, and Henry was able to relax. Jasmine Zebrist sighed as she finished with the camera. She too didn't felt really good for being in there, but she knew that she had a job, even though some asked her if she would like to have mental health leave as well. She was strong, and Henry admired her for that.

"So, not bad…" Gilda said, as she walked to Henry. "Although, the 'supernatural' bit was not on the script."

Henry looked at her. "Yeah, it wasn't… but it seemed worth putting it in."

"They will give you an ear chewing for this." Gilda said, "You have been insisting in that for days already, and the bosses already complained about it."

"It is truth." Henry said. "Black mud has poured out of a hole in the sky and burned the city. There were faces and arms coming out of it. One of them was giant and almost grabbed our chopper. There is no way anyone will convince me that it was not supernatural."

Gilda looked back at him, and she sighed. Normally she would give him an ear chewing of her own, but right now, it was hardly the time, and she was still reeling seriously from the events of one week ago.

"Look, I personally don't mind your opinion on the supernatural thing." She spoke to Henry. "I even agree to you… kinda. I'm pretty sure that the guys don't care very much too, as long as it gives more ratings. But someone in the upper management really don't like this talk. They have even said that you could lose your job if you continued with the 'absurd and unprofessional opinions'."

Henry looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. Bottom line is: they don't like that you go saying that this even was magic, or anything of the like, and they are getting pretty angry that you are insisting in it, especially on work and while on air." She looked at him as she spoke that. "So, you better start being more careful from now on, because they will surely make some noise because of what you just said on live television."

Henry looked back at her, and he nodded. "Yeah, I'll remember that."

Gilda nodded back. "Good to know. So, since we are done here, you could help the guys back there. We are still low in team, and we still need to note down the names of the survivors, maybe collect a few statements from them, if they feel like talking. Could you do it?"

Henry saw no problem into doing that.

Forty-eight individuals had survived the Darkest Hour, and they all had been kept in there, in an improvised hospital that was made in there with tents and some equipment that had been brought by the medics that had came from the neighbor cities and of the military. While it had been days since the event, many of the survivors were still in there, both to receive medical attention and to remain under observation. Actually, it even seemed that the animals in there were being kept in quarantine.

Still, it seemed that the army and doctors were both relaxing, as they saw that whatever affected the city was not something that could be contagious or hazardous, as it seemed not to have left behind any hazardous pathogen or any kind of radioactive energy. At least, none that had been detected by the professionals of the area in the past week.

They didn't had full access to the survivors, of course, but their press passes allowed them to have some access. Along with the help of an old contact that Gilda had among the doctors. They were able to get some good information on some of the survivors, and they even got to talk to a few of them who felt good enough to talk. Of course, all the while they respected what the doctors told them, including respecting the well-being and privacy of the patients, and keeping certain distancing from them, just in case there was actually something.

They got a list of names, and also got some good interviews with a few of the survivors, some of them were friendlier than others…

"So, we got some good shots." Henry said to Jasmine as she checked on the camera.

"Yeah, it is nice that some of them were so friendly."

"Like that guy who says that he wants Leonardo Dicapolar playing him when they make a movie about this?" Henry said, and Jasmine only remained silent on this, before she spoke:

"I really liked the Graysons, you know, the father and son?" She said to him, and Henry nodded.

"Yeah, you are both really nice." He admitted. "The boy is really positive, and the way that his father cares about him… it is really nice. I hope they get a new home soon."

"I know… I feel really sorry for that young fox. His family is still trying to take him home but he is still in quarantine."

"Yeah, I'll say. According to the doctors, his paw got burnt pretty bad. They say it will surely leave a scar, even though there is no danger of him losing it." Henry said, remembering the young fox kit. "Have you seen how tired he looked? The doctors even said that he has been a lot of nightmares…"

"He was scared pretty bad by what happened." Jasmine said. "Like everyone else."

A heavy silence followed this, as the two mammals walked away from the barracks where the survivors were kept and attended to. As they walked, Henry casually said:

"Yeah, I guess this is done now." He spoke to Jasmine. "So, anything else?"

"Well…" Jasmine said to him, "Gilda also said that we needed to get a few testimonies of the ones attending at the memorial."

Henry nodded, and soon, they were walking to the crowd of mammals that had come to pay their respects.

Ironically, most of them seemed to have come either as curious or to try and get themselves in cameras. Some of them actually seemed that they had come either to record themselves or to take selfies. Henry felt a wave of nausea and anger towards these mammals, who seemed that they had no respect for those who had lost their lives in there.

However, there was also a good number of mammals who had actually came in there to really pay their respects to the victims. As it was the case of a family of llamas who drove sixty miles to be in there and to offer their prayers to the poor victims. Also, of a rhino who had a great friend who lived in the city. There was also a group of mammals, one of which gave a very heartfelt testimony to the camera while the others lighted candles in the background.

"Well, that was not half bad." Henry said as Jasmine turned the camera off. "We got some pretty good images and some good speeches of some mammals. I'd say it was a nice day." Henry said, but he noticed that Jasmine had stopped, and that she was looking at one of the many small altars that were made for the victims. It had candles mounted into a small table, with pictures and flowers. Among the pictures in there, was the picture of a familiar wolf, with greenish-gray fur and golden eyes, who was smiling into the photo, making a "V" for victory with his fingers.

"Wow…" Henry said, his ears dropping. "Someone put Frank's photo in here…"

There was a silence, and Jasmine asked, with a timid voice.

"Think it was a family member?"

"Maybe… I didn't recognize anyone from the crowd…" Henry admitted. "I actually haven't talk to his sisters in a while."

"Maybe you should…" Jasmine said.

"They probably don't want to talk to me now." Henry said to her, as the two both stood in front of the altar, looking at the picture of the deceased wolf. "They are still going through a lot. It was so sudden. And now they can't even bury him."

Another pause, and after a while, Jasmine found her voice once more.

"I used to be afraid of working with Frank when we first met."

Henry looked at her.

"It was mostly because of my father, he never had a good opinion in predators, and never tried to hide it." She spoke. "I used to be nervous around predators, but Frank was always very nice to me, and he was always trying to make me laugh. I warmed up to him after a while, and we became friends. I became friends with more predators after this."

She seemed to be deep in thought as she spoke that, and Henry continued to look at her.

"Back on that night, I… I tripped and fell. One of these things… I-it almost got to me… Frank came and hit the thing with a camera…" Her voice seemed to be breaking as she spoke. "I-if it wasn't for him… I-I could be…" She seemed about to break down in crying, and that was when Henry decided to do something.

He placed a paw on her arm, reassuring her. It could have seemed quite curious to some for a mammal like Henry to give comfort to someone who was considerably bigger than himself, but dogs, like Henry, were known for being supportive and friendly. It felt natural to him to give support to who was troubled. To some it was result of the instinct, to others, it was a proof that mammals truly were good in nature. To Henry, it seemed only natural.

She was able to recompose herself after a little bit of his comforting, but she was still sniffling softly. Henry stood by there and he looked down, at the picture in the small altar. Yeah, Frank was indeed an amazing guy, and anyone who knew him knew that. Henry had many found memories of that wolf, as they got along pretty great… maybe because they were both canines…

He still could not believe that he was gone…

There were things in the bottom of the small altar. Packs of candles of different sizes. They were left in there for anyone who came and wanted to light a candle for the victims. Henry looked at them for a few moments, and he turned to Jasmine, asking gently:

"Want to light a candle for him?"

She looked at him, and then she followed his gaze to the packs of candles left in there. She took only a few moments to nod in silent agreement.

Soon, the two mammals were kneeling, Jasmine putting the camera on the ground by her side, in front of the altar as Henry reached out for the packs and pulled two candles, for himself and for Jasmine. They lighted the candles into the ones that had already been burning in there. They dipped a little of the wax of their candles into the altar, and secured the candles in place.

Once they did, they remained kneeled in front of the altar. Henry sighed, and he looked at the side. Jasmine was now with her eyes closed, and her hooves together as she prayed for Frank.

Henry looked at her for a few moments. He was never religious, that was for sure. However, at that moment, he decided that it was good to follow suit.

Closing his eyes and putting his paws together, he started to pray the best he could.

_Frank. I hope you are okay, wherever you are._ He said in silence on his own head. _You were a very good friend of mine, and I don't think I would have made as far as I did in this job if it wasn't for our help._

_You were a real friend, laughing with me in the good moments and supporting me in the bad ones. I could not have asked for a better friend to have in my work as a reporter. I really wished that you were still here, and that we could laugh together again, maybe share another crocodile steak. I'll remember you fondly, thank you for being my friend…_

As he prayed in silence, a single tear ran down his face.

_Goodbye, Frank._

Sighing, Henry relaxed, and used the back of his paw to wipe away that tear. Jasmine had also finished, and they were both still kneeling in there, when something caught their ears.

Sounded like yelling. _Angry_ yelling.

"What is that?" Henry asked as they both turned their heads, and it seemed that there was something happening in the distance. A crowd was starting to form in there.

The two reporters shared a look, and they got up, Jasmine picking up her camera, as they both started to move in direction to the place where the sounds were coming.

Most of it was hard to understand, but as they got closer, they could make up some pieces of what was being said.

"You have no right to say that!"

"You heartless bastards!"

"Judgement has been served!" A voice said, "It was served for them, and it will be served to all other sinners!" Followed this, many more voices were raised, some of them seemed to agree, but the great majority was throwing profanities at what was just said.

"What is going on?" Henry asked as he came closer, and someone who was in there, a gazelle, was the one who answered.

"Some guys who came in here." The male gazelle said to him. "They are some kind of cult, they came in here saying that what happened was an act of God."

"Say what now?" Henry asked, and Jasmine looked just as surprised as he was.

"Yeah, these guys, this wildebeest dude who seems to be their leader, he started to make some kind of speech about how God had decided to make judgement over the mammals of this world, and that what happened in Fangtropolis was divine punishment for legalizing interspecies marriage."

"What!?"

"That's absurd!" Jasmine said, clearly outraged. "First of all, interspecies marriage has been legal for nearly three decades now! Why would 'divine punishment' be delivered now? And why here? This is absurd!" Jasmine was clearly revolted by such claims. She was a religious mammal, and the idea of God destroying a whole city full of innocents in punishment for something like the marriage between different species did not sounded at all like the God she knew.

"Yeah, you should go and tell them this." The gazelle said, his face showing that he was just as disgusted by the speech as she did. "But, I don't think they will actually listen."

Henry was silent, but he was barely suppressing his urge to bare his fangs and snarl. Just who were these guys? Saying something like that? This was ridiculous!

Okay, so maybe Henry himself believed that it was supernatural, and he was not religious, but saying that God had made it to punish the city? That was truly ludicrous!

Henry knew what this truly was, it was just a group of bigots trying to take advantage of the event to try and sell out their own ideas and call others to their cause. Bunch of dirty vultures! Worse than any reporter! And that coming from a reporter himself!

Big events like that, either were they great gatherings, disasters, or whatever else, tended to attract these kinds of individuals, who only saw in it an excuse to profit, or to beneficiate either themselves or their own causes. Henry had saw many of these groups before, and he knew that they did not truly cared about the victims, the proof of that was that they were talking about them as if they deserved what happened, showing a total lack of empathy.

"Oh, I AM going to have a word with them!" Jasmine said, now going forward give a piece of her mind to those bigots. Henry did not tried to stop her for two reasons. First: because he knew that in the rare occasions when Jasmine got mad enough to raise her voice it was not a good idea to be on her way. Second: because he too wanted her to give her mind to those bigots, they deserved a good talking down.

"Man, she is fiery!"

A voice said, and Henry at first thought it was the gazelle they had been talking with, but saw that the guy was no longer around, and he then turned his head to look for the owner of that new voice, and he quickly found him.

It was a wolf. He was right by Henry's side, standing on 5'11'' feet tall. The wolf had gray fur on his head, with a lighter shade of gray around his eyes and on his muzzle-line. He was wearing quite an interesting choice of clothing, with it being grey like his fur, consisting into a jacket, a pair of dress pants, and a fedora. The fedora in particular called Henry's attention.

_Who still wears fedoras?_ The dog thought.

The wolf stood by the side of the smaller canine, as his yellow eyes were focused into the zebra who had just walked off.

"Is she usually like that?" The wolf asked casually the dog. Henry shrugged.

"Only if you really push her buttons." He said casually. "Normally she is very…" Henry stopped as he sniffed something.

The smell… it was strange, but… somewhat familiar. It made him feel uneasy.

Henry sniffed a bit, as if he was trying to point out where the smell was coming from. It was close… almost…

"Do you agree with them?" The wolf suddenly asked, making the dog stop.

"Huh?"

"The wildebeest and his followers." The wolf clarified. "Do you agree with them? Do you think that God has really 'rain his sheer wrath over the city of sinners to make of it an example to the world'?" He was clearly quoting what he had heard, and the fact that these exact words had been used made Henry feel even more disgust them before.

"Hell, no!" The said, now wishing to go in there with Jasmine, find exactly who had spoke that, and give them a punch in the snout.

"Weren't you who said that what happened was supernatural in nature?" The wolf asked, making the wolf look at him. "Actually, you said it again today, not long ago, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, what happened was not normal." Henry said, "But I don't think any god made that!"

The wolf looked at him, and he smiled. "I totally agree, young man." The wolf sounded approving as he said that, and the way that his yellow eyes seemed that they almost shone kind of gave Henry creeps.

"But… if it was not 'divine wrath', what do you think it was?" The wolf asked very casually, and Henry shrugged.

"Beats me." Henry said, "I'm really not sure of what it was, but blaming the city for what happened is absurd."

"Once more, I totally agree." The wolf said once more, sounding very approving of the younger, smaller mammal. "The fault was not on the city. They merely got caught up in _their_ business. _They_ are really at fault."

This peaked Henry's interest, making him look at the wolf.

"Huh? Who are 'they'?"

"The ones who caused that to happen." The wolf said casually, as if it was something that was to be common knowledge. "Of course, they didn't truly wanted something like that to happen, some of them even had good intentions, but it still happened because of their actions, so it is still their fault."

"Whose's fault?" Henry asked, now looking intently at the wolf. The smell was still there, and it made Henry uncomfortable, as he was still trying to remember where he felt it before.

"They cannot really help it." The wolf continued, ignoring the dog's questions, but still talking, as if he wanted to share something. "They had their own goals and ambitions, and they all wanted to see them fulfilled. They could not help, having being born as such. These kinds of mammals are born in this world to live to their ambitions and to try to reach them by any means necessary. That is just how they are."

"What kind of mammals?" The dog pressed on, getting more and more interested by what the bigger canine was saying. "What are you talking about?"

The wolf finally looked back at him, and his yellow eyes were shining in a strange way. Henry felt uncomfortable, the smell seemed that it was even stronger than before. The wolf had a smile as he leaned forward, getting his muzzle closer to Henry's ear, and he whispered:

"Mages, Mr. Dogbert." The way the wolf said it was as if he was speaking of a secret. "I'm talking about mages."

He leaned back, and Henry could only stare at him, the wolf chuckled.

"You will find out more soon." The wolf spoke to him. "As a matter of fact… everyone will."

With this, the wolf started to walk away, and Henry continued to look at him as he walked.

Henry was not sure of what had just happened, but he somehow felt as if that was important, even though he was absolutely unsure of what to think from what he had just heard. But he did felt a little relieved that the wolf was walking away, something about him made Henry nervous, both the eyes and the way he smiled. Also, the smell was also getting weaker as the wolf got away.

Henry blinked, as he sniffed that scent one last time, and felt a wave of cold dread spreading on his body. He finally found out where the smell was coming from, and he remembered where he felt it before.

That wolf… had the same smell as the Darkest Hour.


	11. The Spying Crow & Mother-Son Talk

Nick groaned and he stretched himself in his chair. This was probably the last one he had to do today. He looked at the clock. Five more minutes and Nick would be able to say that he was done for the day.

The last three days had not been very busy, and they actually have been rather peaceful, with only a minor inconvenience as he and Judy were called to check on an account of order disturbance that turned out to be only a false alarm. Well, it seemed like a false alarm, once the guy who was talking was very frantic on what he had described, talking about "water monsters", or something of the like.

The guy was taken back to his home, and the situation was left behind.

Now, all that was left to do was to make some reports of how the day was.

Once more, Nick was remembered of how much he disliked paperwork.

Nick was finishing tipping his report, as professionally as he could, and describing the words of the guy who made a claim on the monsters.

_That guy surely told one hell of a story._ Nick thought as he wrote a brief resume of what the guy had spoken. _Saying that a fox boy turned a puddle into a monster and threw it at him… wow, now that is something. Kind of crazy. Still, but maybe not crazier than other things that I have been going through lately._

It was around six p.m. when Nick finished and could finally able to close his computer. The tod was finally free from the dreaded paperwork.

Getting up, the fox decided to go for his partner.

He found the bunny in her own cubicle, absorbed into her own reports, and she seemed not to have noticed his approach. Nick smiled, and started to sneak in her direction as silently as he could.

He was now right behind Judy as she continued to tap away in her keyboard, looking at the screen. Nick rose behind her, a smirk on his face and his hands as if they were ready to grab on his target, when…

"Don't even think about it, Wilde." She said, immediately making the fox freeze in place, his hands in place and the smirk now out of his muzzle.

Soon, the fox was dropping his arms, looking at the bunny, who turned her head from her computer to look at Nick's face, now having a smirk of her own. She gently taped her big ears.

"Hearing range of three blocks, remember?" She spoke to him. "I can hear your steps right after you get out of your computer.

Nick pouted. "Man, I thought I had gotten you this time."

Judy chuckled. Nick could really be a very big kit sometimes. "Well, you are just in time. I have just finished this last report."

"Great, this means we can go now, right?" Nick said, sounding eager to finish his job and go home.

"Wow, you really don't like working, do you, Officer Wilde?"

"Not when I'm forced to do paperwork." Nick admitted, with the same casual smile Judy was used to so much. She smiled at him.

"Well, you should be thankful that Chief Bogo decided not to put us both only on it for the rest of the week.

Nick was forced to agree with her. For a moment back on Monday, he had been worried that Buffalo-Butt was going to put him on desk duty until the end of his days. Mainly because the Chief mentioned something like that. However, it seemed that the Chief got a bit calmer after yelling at Nick for a bit, and especially after Nick gave a good explanation to why he was in there.

Of course, Nick had not told the Chief that he was making personal investigations on supernatural events, for he knew better, but he said that he had been gone to see Bellwether in order to be able to face her, for both his own and Judy's shake. He said that he just needed to look her in the eyes and confront her, what was actually not that far from the truth. Nick was once more thankful for being good in dealing in mammals and convincing.

The Chief was calmer after that, especially because Nick had refrained from making any snarky remarks or jokes. He was no longer demoting him to a meter guard, but Nick had the feeling that he was going to be on probation for the following week. Nick was glad that he got off only with an ear chewing, even though the Chief was very thorough into chewing someone else's ears.

Nick was relieved that he was not stuck into desk duty or parking duty, especially for the shake of his smaller partner. Yes, because they were partners, and they were partnered mainly because of their approximate relative size, which fit their especially made vehicle. Working with someone with a huge size difference would be troublesome. Also, since they were partners, it was expected that they would be together in their assignments. What meant that if Nick got either desk or parking duty, Judy would most likely get the same thing. Nick shuddered at the thought of what the bunny girl would do to him if she was stuck in a desk or in the meter maid uniform because of his actions.

Soon, the two mammals moved out of the bunny's cubicle, and after changing into their civilian clothing, they were both walking out of the building, getting ready to go home and unwind after a day of work. The sun was about to set, and today was a day when they were allowed to finish their shift earlier, giving them a chance to relax.

It was on the subway that they were able to talk a bit more.

"So, not stopping on your usual station, today?" Judy asked to the fox as they stepped out of the train, and the fox shrugged a bit.

"Nah, I have plans for today. I'm going to visit someone."

"Oh." Judy said, looking at him, and Nick soon knew what she was thinking.

"Not about _the subject_, Carrots." Nick said to her, referring to what they had talked during Sunday, and on what now they were keeping low profile on as they "looked for more evidence" on the matter. "I'm just going to visit my mother. She asked me if I could go visit her any day because she misses me, so I agreed to see her today after work."

"Oh, right." Judy said, "It is nice that you do stuff like that."

"I know." Nick said, "I really had not been the best of sons. So, I try to compensate now the best I can. It is nice to visit her, actually. She makes a blueberry pie that should be a controlled substance."

The two animals traded a few more words, before they effectively separated. Nick walked in direction to the stairs, aiming to get out of the subway and get into his cab to his mother's home. Meanwhile, Judy was left behind to wait for her next train.

As she waited, however, Judy caught something with her peripheral vision. Something blue.

Looking over, she saw a blue butterfly floating in the air. She blinked as she looked at it, and she noticed that the butterfly seemed to be hoovering somehow above Nick. It was right in the area above his head and the heads of other mammals, but it seemed like it definitely was directly above Nick.

Memories of all that she and Nick talked about came back after a few seconds of looking at the butterfly. Judy thought about calling out for Nick, but he was far already, and she would have to scream, what would draw the attention of a lot of mammals, and she didn't wanted quite that, especially, she didn't wanted to have to explain that she cried out because of a butterfly.

Thinking fast, Judy fished out her phone, aiming to send Nick a text warning him of the creature above him. While she tapped the words, the kept looking up at the butterfly, and that was why she had the chance to see it… dissolve?

It was as if the butterfly was decomposing into powdery light, before it completely vanished in the air, as if it had never even existed.

Judy blinked, as he mind tried to process what she had just seen. Her whole body paralyzed, until someone bumped into her and complained that she was blocking the way for the train.

Judy noticed that her train had arrived, and that she was about to lose it. Luckily, she was able to get inside and get seated. Soon, her thoughts went back to what she had seen and, inevitably, they went back to what she and Nick had talked. To the amazing, impossible things that Nick had described. Judy had the creeping feeling that what she had just witnessed perfectly matched what Nick had described.

Judy went back into texting, and after a while of tapping into the screen of her computer, she finally pressed "send", and the message biped as it went to its destiny.

* * *

Nick had just stepped out of the stairs of the subway when his cellphone buzzed.

The fox fished it out if his pocket and took a look, to see that he had one new message. From Judy.

Nick raised an eyebrow at this. He had just been with her not even a minute ago, and now she was sending him a message? What, she had forgot to tell him something?

Opening the message, Nick saw the beginning of what was write.

_Nick, I just saw that blue butterfly floating above you –_

Nick blinked, widening his eyes and immediately looking up. He looked up, to the sides, and he could not see the blue butterfly that Judy had mentioned. Was it hiding? Did it noticed that he was looking for it and now was trying to get out of sight? Or had it somehow became invisible?

Each thought was crazier than the last, but they were not so crazy if you compared to the other things that Nick had went through.

Looking around, Nick could not see the butterfly, after a while, he went back into reading the text.

_-but it vanished in the air! Just disappeared! Turned into dust!_

_Maybe it was following us all along! Keep an eye open in case you see it again._

Nick looked up after finishing reading the text, looking for any sign of blue that was not from the sky, for any pair of fluttering wings. However he found none, and he sighed. His body relaxed a little, but he was still on his toes.

As the text had instructed, Nick kept watch, to see if he could possible see another weird and mysterious blue butterfly. Even as he got his cab and told the driver to go to the given address.

As the cab drove away, Nick looked by the window, thinking of all that had happened, and what that all could possibly mean.

Saying that everything that had happened was strange would actually be an understatement. Nick knew that well, and he knew that denial was not going to help him in a moment like that. Many animals would go into denial and try to move on and forget that it ever happened. However, Nick was not among these. He was not the kind of mammal who ignored things. Of course, he did his best to move on and to try to go on with his life the best he could, he learned that after he started to be on his own, surviving from hustling other mammals for their money. However, there are things that he could not simply ignore, like what he had seen back there.

Of course, there was a time when he would have lowered his head and not asked any question on the matter. However, these days have passed.

Now he had a new inspiration that let him not simply let go of things, and to battle for what he believed...

* * *

Judy had just jumped down from the train at her station, and soon she was maneuvering through the forest of moving legs of the bigger mammals to get to the exit of the subway. On her way, she had the feeling of seeing a familiar antelope going ahead, but she barely noticed, as her mind was too absorbed into what was happening now.

Many things had happened in the past week and a half, and they were enough to get Judy to think a lot. Seeing the destruction of an entire city in a freakish event on live television was something that had got to her. It wasn't something you expect to see, and certainly not in so much detail as it had been show. Judy still had a bit of troubles to sleep due to what she had witnessed, and she wondered if Nick also had them.

Few days later, there was the event on the square with that curious group of mammals, among them a horse. The thing that Judy had seen him do with the heart of flames and the curtain of smoke was something surreal. She had thought it very strange, and she had a strange suspicion on what she had saw. However, she had accepted that there was a very reasonable explanation to what she had saw, even though the feeling of something more had remained in the back of her head.

The feeling had somehow came back with the talk she had with Nick, in which the fox told her a fantastic story with magic butterflies and flaming ropes. She knew Nick, and she was sure of two things: he was not crazy, and he would not simply make up a story like that. She trusted him and trusted his opinion, enough to be able to consider what he said, when she would have a lot of doubts in regarding to anyone else who told her that.

Finally, there was the fact that she saw the same strange butterfly that Nick had described (or at least she thought that it was the same), and she saw it disappearing in thin air (or thought she saw it). All of that summing up some very strange things that had been happening lately.

Judy was deep in thought as she reflected on all of these strange things, trying to make head and tails out of them. She barely paid attention to her surroundings, as post lamps now illuminated the empty street she was taking to her home as the sky acquired the violet shade that it had with the setting of the sun. Still…

A shiver ran up Judy's spine. Her nose started to twitch furiously. There it was. A feeling that she already had before.

The feeling of being followed.

Of being watched.

Judy blinked, as she looked at the sides, trying to figure out where the feeling was coming from. However, she saw only empty streets, and the ones who were in there did not seemed to be focusing on her.

The bunny was about to dismiss her feelings as mere paranoia, when she remembered what she saw earlier, of the creature that was hovering over Nick, watching him from above.

Blinking, Judy looked again, but this time she was looking up, at the darkening sky.

Bunnies didn't had a particularly good night vision, and seeing in darkness of the night was a challenge to them sometimes. Still, Judy did her best as she looked up, trying to see if there was anything up that was worth of her attention, and which maybe could be the cause of the feeling that she was having.

After straining her eyes a little, she was able to see something. A shape stood darker against the dark of the sky.

It was moving in circles above her, and it had wings.

Now that she noticed it, Judy could her the faint sound of its flapping winds, as it mostly hovered above her.

Judy blinked, looking at the strange black bird from above, and wondering just what it was, and why was it flying over her like that. Of course, many mammals, especially the smaller ones, knew that, if a big bird had its eyes on you, and was circling you, it was not a good idea to remain in place. For, while mammals had evolved to gain sentience, birds were a kind of animal that had not, as they retained their feral ways, including the birds of prey, who would occasionally hunt on mammals to eat them.

Judy looked at the bird circling over her, and she slowly started to move away, turning around and resuming her walk in direction to her house.

The feeling of being followed and watched persisted. Now that she knew where the feeling was coming from, she was able to track it better. Her ears moved trying to pick the occasional, faint sound of wings, and she would occasionally look up, trying to catch glimpses of the bird that was flying over her.

She felt an urge to run, to try to escape, but she did her best to suppress it. If the bird that was above her were aiming to snatch her as dinner, it would probably have done it already. Instead, it seemed only to be following her, as if it was keeping an eye for her.

The thought seemed strange, however, it didn't seemed so strange, considering that Nick apparently was being followed by a magic butterfly.

As she walked, as calmly and normally as she could, Judy did tried to figure out just what kind of bird could be this that was now following her. It was black enough to mix with the dark of the sky, and that was for sure. It also seemed too small to be a buzzard. That much Judy knew. Even because, buzzards were birds of prey, scavenging birds that feed on carrion and occasionally attacked living animals to make them food, if there was such a big bird out in the city someone would complain to the City Hall, and the mammals would quickly dispatch beast control to deal with the bird.

Of course, if it was a minor species of animal, like maybe a crow…

Suddenly Judy stopped for a moment, remaining still in the street, before she resumed walking.

_"Hey, that bird is there again!"_

_"Bird!? What bird?"_

_"That bird I told you about a few days ago! That weird looking crow!..."_

_Could it be..?_ Judy thought as she continued to walk, increasing slightly her pacing speed. Her ears caught the sound of the wings above her.

After a while more of talking, Judy soon had her building in sight. Her instincts told her to make a dash for it, but she remained composed and walked to it. She slowly climbed the stairs, looking over her shoulder and up, and she could catch glimpse of a dark shadow hovering over the place and landing on top of a power line.

_"That crow is strange! It comes here every few days and just keeps perched in that line looking at the building!..."_

Judy continued her way, opening the door and calmly closing it. She passed by the landlady on her way to the stairs, and gave her a polite "good night", before starting to climb the stairs. Once the landlady was now out of sight, Judy rushed up, jumping the steps of the stairs in direction to her apartment.

As she reached the next store of the building and rushed to her apartment, she could already hear the voices of her two crazy neighbors, having yet another squabble.

"…why do you even look into that website?"

"The links come into my mail and I open them! It is some kind of promotion!"

"What!? You mean we have to pay for it!? My salary is barely enough to pay rent and food! We can't afford some fancy meditation class!"

"We don't pay anything! If we did, the bill would have come to us already! I have been following the site for nearly five years now!"

Judy barely minded then, as she opened the door to her apartment, and looked at the window.

Going for it, she looked in the outside, and she saw the black figure again. The crow had red eyes that were turn to the window, and for a very brief moment, Judy locked eyes with it, right before she pulled the curtains of her window, obscuring the sight from the bird. However, Judy still had the feeling that the bird was just outside, still looking at her apartment's window.

She stood there for a while, and soon, she was moving out of her apartment. She walked to the door that was immediately next to hers'.

"How did you even got subscription in a website like that!?"

"I don't know! The link just came in my mail one day and I didn't questioned!"

"So you just took an email from a stranger!? Do you know how dangerous that is!?"

Judy walked to the door, and knocked in it. There was a brief fumbling as the animals inside questioned who should answer the door, and soon there was someone answering. Both antelopes stood around the same height, being around 5'7'' feet tall, and they were both just as thin. Still, it was easy to tell them apart due to their specific antelope species. The one who answered was a kudu, with pale gold fur and light markings on his face, and a pair of brown horns on his head. He was wearing what seemed to be his pajamas, with blue and white striped shirt and legs. It was Bucky. He looked to the sides into the door, before turning back and saying:

"There is no one!"

Judy didn't even groaned, so used that she was to this already.

"Down here!"

Bucky finally looked down, his brown eyes meeting Judy, and they widened a little.

"Oh! Hey, Hopps." He said to her, and turned back to scream. "Scratch what I just said! It is Hopps!" He turned back to Judy, and spoke more calmly. "Did you arrived just now? We didn't hear you."

"Yeah, I just arrived." Judy said to him, "But, I want to ask you a question."

"If it is about the meditation website that he is always visiting, then we both have a lot of questions." Pronk quipped from the inside, causing Bucky to turn back in annoyance.

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

"No, YOU shut up!"

"Bucky. Bucky!" Judy called, making the kudu look at her again. "Bucky, I need to ask you a question, is about the crow that you said has been watching the building. Remember, you talked about it last week?"

Bucky looked at her for a few moments, and then he realized what she was talking about.

"Oh, right, that creepy bird." He said as he looked at her. "Well, some people…" He said, looking over his shoulder at the Oryx that was inside the building, looking at his own cellphone, seemingly absorbed into something. "… think that it's crazy to think that a bird spies on mammals, but I'm saying that there is something creepy about that bird! I swear that it has been watching into the build for a while now, and it just keeps here every few nights and keeps in there looking at the building, as if it was waiting for something. I swear I even considered calling the beast control on that crow."

"I see…" Judy said, "And… for how long the crow had been watching over the building?"

The kudu stopped to think, reflecting a little bit. "Well, the first time I noticed that crow was a few months ago. I was just coming back from groceries and I saw it perking into the lines, just looking at the building. After that, I've seen it a few more times, doing just that, sitting in the lines and staring at the building from there."

"A few months…" Judy said, taking a mental note on the subject. "And, it doe change positions when it perks into the line, or it has a favorite spot?"

"Favorite spot?" Bucky asked, "As in, a place where it likes to stay… well…" The kudu once more started to think, pondering on the answer for the bunny's question. "Well, I see it from the window a few times, and it always seen to be perked in the same part of the line… I guess?"

Judy nodded, and she asked another question.

"And, does it comes only at night?"

"Well, mostly." Bucky admitted to Judy. "It usually appears when the sun is setting or after it has set, but sometimes it is there in the morning, or it comes in the middle of the afternoon… Wait, why are you asking so many questions about the crow?" He asked her as he looked at the bunny. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Wait, it is not perking outside just now, is it?"

Judy said nothing, and soon, Bucky was walking back inside and looking out of his window.

"It is! Pronk, the crow is there again!" The kudu said, apparently he had forgotten about Judy, and the bunny decided that it was time to go back to her apartment.

She reflected on the information that she had gotten from her neighbor, and while it said her a lot, at the time it said very little. The crow was first noticed a few months ago, but it was possible that it has been there for longer. It comes usually when the sun is setting or has already set, but it occasionally comes during other parts of the day, and it came back each few days and just kept looking at the building.

Getting inside of her apartment and locking the door, Judy looked at her window, with the curtain draw. She walked to it, and gently pulled the curtain, as to have line of sight of the crow. It was still there perking in the line, looking at the building.

There was a piece of information that Bucky had gave that was meaningful to Judy. The crow would always perk in the same spot of the line as it kept looking at the building. A spot that, coincidence or not, seemed to be right in front of her window. Now, Judy knew that she would probably sound paranoid, and it would surely made her seen like the stereotypical scared bunny, but she had the very distinct feeling that it seemed that the crow was looking at her window specifically. The fact that the crow had been following her just on her way home, and that it perked in there as soon as she arrived was enough to strengthen her belief in this.

Pulling her phone, Judy pointed the camera at the crow and took a picture. The flash made the crow caw and take flight, leaving the lines and disappearing into the nocturnal sky.

"It just flew!" Judy could hear Bucky saying to his husband. "It got scared with a flash! Do you think it will come back?"

"Wow! Man!" Pronk answered.

"What? It could come back!"

"No, not your mysterious crow! I just saw a video in this new website someone tagged me!"

"Website!?" Bucky asked. "Oh, so I'm not allowed to check on websites, but you are?"

"A friend of mine tagged me and I gave it a look! It seemed strange at first, but they had some videos, and man, you gotta see them! I'll tag you!" He said, and suddenly there was a slamming into the wall. "Hopps! I'll tag you as well, you gotta see this!"

Judy blinked, and she turned to her own phone. She looked at the picture of the crow she had just taken. She looked at it, and was able to have a better look at the bird that she caught on camera. It looked like any other crow, save for the eyes which, in the picture, seemed almost to be glowing, and were deep red. She kept looking at it, when her phone suddenly tweeted, as to give her a notification that she had received a link.

"Okay, just tagged you guys!" Pronk said both to his husband in the same apartment and to Judy on the neighbor one.

Judy blinked. She looked at her phone, showing the notification that indicated she was marked into that link. For a moment, she thought about just pushing it aside and continuing to wonder about the strange crow that was in there. However, she also knew that Pronk was not the kind who would mark others for just anything, and that he was probably expecting to see her reactions into the website he marked her with, and that she didn't gave him answers, she was probably going to hear a lot of it later on.

So, Judy just opened the link she received, and she saw just what kind of website she had been marked into. As she looked at what it was…

"What?" Judy asked, as she looked very intently at her phone, her eyes capturing the details of the place in the web to which Pronk had directed her.

"Strange, ain't it?" The Oryx's voice came from the other end of the wall, and this time, Judy was force to agree…

* * *

"I've said it once, I've said it twice, and I'll say it many more times." Nick said, as he poked another piece of the baked goodness on his plate with a fork. "Mom, you make the best blueberry pie in the world!" He said, and he put the piece into his mouth, letting out a delighted sound as he let the thing glide across all of his taste buds, practically making them sing in chorus.

"I'm glad that I still make them well." Said the vixen to whom Nick was talking. Sophie Wilde was a vixen of beauty, and some said that she didn't truly looked her age. She was slender and elegant, standing on a little over 3'9'' feet, with fur of the same colors her son, but in a softer shade. Her eyes were of an intense amber coloration, and they denoted a kindness that also manifested in her voice and in much of her actions. She had signs of age, of course, like some of her fur discoloring, and some wrinkles on her face, but still, many said that she looked truly great to someone who was nearing her sixties. She wore a casual set of clothing, with a green shirt, a white sweater, and a long pink skirt. That was mostly how Nick remembered her, if he stopped to think of it. His mother was always quite plain and simple when it came to her clothes.

Nick was happy for being able to sit with her and talk once more, and for being able to taste that wonderful blueberry pie, even better than the one Gideon Gray made in BunnyBurrow (on Nick's obviously biased opinion). It was another thing that had changed in his life in the recent times.

By the time that Nick had graduated in the Academy, he had come to see his mother, talking to her for the first time in a few years. He had not really been on speaking terms with her, mostly because of his very poor life choices. Nick didn't truly had the heart to come and face her.

He had been a horrible son, and he knew it. His mother had always worked hard to put food on his stomach, clothes on his back and a roof over his head, and he had not really gave it value ever since the Ranger Scouts incident. These stupid speciest brats truly broke him back then, and he ended up accepting their views that he could not be anything more than a shifty and untrustworthy fox.

His relationship with his mother gradually got worse from there on, as he saw himself giving up on his aspirations and getting himself into more and more problems. Starting with problems at his school, evolving to a historic of delinquency on his High school years, and culminating into him dropping out of school by the time of his last year and going full fledge into the life of a hustler.

This had left his mother heartbroken, and Nick knew that he was not living his life in a way that would make her proud. However, after what he had been through, he thought that there was just no other way he could live his life, being a fox and all.

It took a very strong and optimist bunny to change his views in the world, and to be able to turn his life around and finally reconcile with his mother.

Nick still remembered the first time he went to speak to his mother in his full police uniform. The look of pride in her face was more than enough to reassure Nick that he had finally started to make the right decisions.

They both started talking more after that, and that was yet another reason why Nick was so thankful to Judy.

He was also thankful that his mother still lived in the same house where he grew up with her.

The fox had been really surprised to come home after so long and discover that very little had actually changed. Of course, there was some new decoration here and there, and some extra pictures on the walls, but other than that the place was exactly as Nick remembered it. Even his own bedroom was still pretty much like Nick had left it, having been kept clean and neat by his mother, who had always somehow managed to balance both her work and her home.

She truly was an amazing woman.

Nick didn't deserved such a good mother.

"So, how is your partner going?" Sophie asked her son. "She has been keeping you on line?"

"O-oh, you mean, Carrots?" Nick said, to her, suddenly being brought back from his recollections into the present. "Yeah, she is like that. She is always on my foot to do my work as professionally as I possibly can. Hard to think of slacking or not acting like a proper cop when she is around." Nick admitted to his mother. "That actually is a good thing, you know, she helps me not to slip and go back to my old ways."

His mother smiled at this, but Nick noticed that she had somehow become sadder. Talking about his "old ways" was a thing that made her upset.

_Why did I said that?_

"So, I was thinking of maybe bringing her up any day." Nick said, trying to change the subject. "I think it would be nice for you two to finally be able to talk, and maybe I can finally get her to taste your blueberry pie! I tried to take some pieces to her, but it is so good that I always eat them by myself before she has the chance to taste them. Guess she needs to taste it straight from the source."

_Nice move._

Now, Judy was a subject that made his mother smile. The vixen surely was thankful towards the bunny, just as Nick himself was. Surely because the bunny had saved her son from a sad and lonely life that could probably have ended badly.

"You know, I surely would love to know young Judy." Sophie said to her son, a warm and kind smile on her face. "Even though, considering just how much you talk about her, it is almost as if I know her already."

"H-hey!" Nick said, blushing for some reason, "I-it's not like I talk about her that much."

"Just on the day you came here to show me your uniform…" Sophie started, "You spent nearly an entire hour talking about this 'amazing bunny girl' who helped you become a cop."

"I was just putting you in pair of all the facts." Nick said, looking away and feeling quite bashful, and he didn't even knew why.

"Uh-huh…" Sophie said, taking another sip of her tea, with a smile that was of a mom who knew it.

_What's with that smile now?_ Nick thought, as he tried to figure out why he was feeling blushy and bashful all of sudden. He decided to hose down the feeling by taking a big gulp of the tea that his mother brought to company the pie.

"You know, I never understood why you like tea so much." Nick said, as he looked at the cup with a tea that his mother had served to him.

"Oh, that is from my younger years." Sophie said to him, "From a time when I lived in Liondon."

Oh, right, that explains it… wait, what?" Nick said, as he realized what his mother had said. "Mom, you lived in England?"

"For a while." She admitted. "No, you are not British, I was born and raised in Animerica, just like you. I lived in there for a few years as I was studying."

"Oh… wow." Nick said, "I didn't knew that."

"It was long ago, before you were born." She admitted. "Anyway, I spent a few years there in Liondon for my studies."

"And by _few_, we mean..?"

"A little over five years." She said to him. Nick stared at her as if he had just found out that she had a degree in quantum mechanic. "Well, I was quite smart, and I had grades good enough to study in there for a while. Of course, since tea is the official drink from there, I kind of got used to it. _Addicted_ would be a better word, actually." She said casually and sipped another gulp of the tea.

She sighed as she put it down. "Of course, quality teas are a bit harder to find here in Animerica, since mammals in here drink more coffee and beer than tea, but there are some very good brands, like Dalmah Tea. This one is Ceylon golden pekoe with earl grey and vanilla. Really good if well made. But I still prefer it with blueberry leaves."

Nick looked at the tea that he had been served. Up until now, the only thing he knew about tea was that you made it by tossing some herbs into a pot and setting it to boil and that it could be black or light like coffee. It was a surprise for him that his mother seemed to know so much about tea. Of course, it was also a surprise for him that she had studied overseas. He would have never guessed…

"So, did you studied into some big English school, or something?"

"Yes, something of the like." His mother admitted.

"Cool, and what did you learned there, besides everything that there is to know about tea?"

She stopped for a moment, and Nick had the impression that her smile faltered a little bit. However, she was soon smiling again, and she said:

"Well, it was a school that offered a wide range of teachings, I did a few specializations."

"Wow, that is cool." Nick said to his mother, fascinated that he was learning new things about her. "Bet you were smarter than any other guy in there."

"Well, I kind of was." Sophie admitted. "But, that was not necessarily a good thing."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, that school I was studying… let's just say that it was an elitist institution." Sophie explained to her son. "The mammals who studied in there had their own hierarchy and meritocracy, and some of them could be quite jealous, especially if the one who was smarter than them was a fox."

"Oh, right…" Nick said, and this actually was no surprise for him. Of course that his mother would also have it bad growing up as a fox. Nick actually felt like a jerk for never having thought that she already had to go through the same difficulties that he had. It was even likely that she had it worse than he did.

"Yeah, most of them didn't really liked being around me. I didn't made many friends in there… save for a few. One of them in particular…"

Nick looked at his mother, and it was clear by her face that this particular memory was a found one.

"You know, Nick, I always hoped that one day you would understand that no matter how much the world mistrusts and oppresses you, as long as there is at least one mammal who truly understands and appreciates you, you will be able to go through." She spoke to him. "Of course, I guess I failed to let you know that…"

_Oh, no. Don't let her go there! Say something!_

"It was mostly my fault, actually." Nick said, and his other looked at him. "I mean, I let these idiots get to me and I tossed away all my dreams because of what they said. I should have been better than that."

His mother looked at him, and Nick reached out to place a paw on her own.

"I'm not making this mistake again. From now on, I'll live my life for the mammals who actually care about me and who see the best in me. Like you and Judy." He said, and this made her smile at him. "After all, you two are practically the only mammals in this city whose opinion I actually give a frick about."

Sophie felt like she should reprimand her son for the kind of language that he was using, however, in seeing him smile like that, she just didn't had the heart to. It had been a long time before she had seen such a sincere smile on his face again…

"Oh, Nick…" She said, "My dear Nick… When you came home in tears on that night, telling me what these horrible kids had done to you, I was so heartbroken. I really thought that you would not have any faith in the world again."

Nick shrugged. He too believed that he would never had faith in the world again, until that bunny came along.

"Now look at you. Zootopia's first fox police officer. Keeping the oath of serve and protect, helping the mammals of this city…" She spoke, with a proud smile on her face. But suddenly, she seemed to become sadder over something.

_Oh, what now? What did I do?_

"… Even though… this might put you in danger." She spoke the next sentence in a whisper, and Nick looked at her.

She rose her eyes to look at Nick. "Nick… a horrible thing has happened recently."

Nick looked at his mother, and he assumed that she was referring to the event of Fangtropolis. She continued.

"I could see it on television, and I know that you did too." She spoke to him.

"Yeah, it was horrible." Nick said, still feeling a sense of dread on each time he thought on that horror show.

"Ever since it happened, I've been worried." She admitted to the younger fox, clutching his paw. "I have this feeling in my chest that something is going to happen. Something that will affect you in some way… This makes me so scared for you…"

Nick didn't quite knew if there was a correct answer to this, but one thing he knew, it was the job of every mother to worry about their children. Of course his mother would be on edge because of what she saw, many were. It was probable that seeing something like that happening to these poor mammals made her remember that something horrible could happen at any time, with anyone, including Nick.

Nick simply held her hand for a while, before he spoke to her:

"Okay, look, I do know that every mom's job is to think that her kits might need her at any moment of the day, and that it is a job that they refuse to fail."

His mother continued to look at him, and Nick placed down the cup to hold his mother's paws.

"But I'm gonna be fine." He said to her. "Look, nothing bad will happen to me. I have been trained by the ZPD to fight, I know my way around the city and how to get out of trouble, I have a true fighter as my partner covering my back, and in case you haven't noticed…"

He let go of her paws to show his biceps.

"… I'm no longer the pencil necked teenager that you once knew."

Sophie chuckled a little. It was true. Nick was indeed a lot thinner when he was a teenager, almost to the point of looking anorexic. He was indeed a lot healthier now, especially considering that he had gained some muscle due to his training to become a cop.

"Oh, Nicky." His mother said, "I know that you are strong. You proved it to me many times… but still, I get really worried about you."

Nick sighed. "Yeah, I know." Nick admitted. "I got tell you, things have been crazy these days. But I manage it. I have my partner with me."

His mother looked down at her own cup, and Nick placed a paw on her shoulder, causing her to look at him once more.

"I'll be fine." He reassured her. "I promise."

Seeing the look in his eyes, Sophie could not help but smile back at him.

After a while more, when Nick finally finished both his pie and tea, he was ready to go.

"Wow, look at the time! I gotta go now if I want to arrive home in time to have my beauty sleep." Nick said as he got up, and Sophie remained sitting as Nick got up. "Wanna help with the dishes?"

"No, it's fine." Sophie said to him. "You can go now and rest. You have to be rested tomorrow to keep an eye on the criminals and on some blue butterflies."

"Yeah, sure do." Nick said, "See you later mom, I love you."

With this said, Nick walked to the door, and Sophie was sitting in the place, her own tea still in her paws, and she sighed as she heard the sound of the door opening, closing, and being locked from the outside.

For a while, she sat in there. Taking sips of her tea as she reflected on all that had happened.

Her son became a cop.

It was a source of great pride to her. However, it was a source of worry and doubt at the same time. For she knew that now her son would be running into dangerous situations on his job. Of course it would be a matter of time until he stumbled into something that could put him in grave danger. Like _them_, for example….

Sophie sighed, and she set her cup down, walking to the window.

The city of Zootopia, where she had lived for a long time with her son, doing her best to raise him in a world that could be cruel and unforgiving. She did her best to protect him and to help him grow. Sometimes, she still felt like she had somehow failed with him. However, there was one thing: she refused to failing into protecting him. Her son had just began to live a new life, one that made him happy and satisfied. She was not going to lose him now.

Reaching out inside her clothes, she gripped something in her paw.

As she did, she reflected on her long-gone past. A past that she spent the last thirty-four years trying to leave behind. A past that she hoped that Nick would never be able to find out. And if he ever did found out, she hoped, from all of her heart, that he would not end up like many before him…

* * *

Nick had just stepped out of the house, and he sighed as he walked. He couldn't put it into words how good it was to finally be able to relate better to his mother. Enough to learn some new things about her.

He knew that his mother had been a very good student when she was younger, but he had no idea that she had studied overseas. Who would know? And it was one of those fancy schools attended by these pompous, snotty brats who didn't liked a fox being better than them at anything.

She probably had qualifications to get nearly any job that she wanted. Still, his mother only got jobs as receptionist and waitress. Certainly because others didn't felt like giving a position of power or prestige to a fox. It was harder when she was younger, and Nick knew that. This made him wonder just how much she had to struggle to be able to give him a good and honest life.

_And you threw it all away and embraced the stereotype that all those stupid speciest jerks have of foxes. Nice going, moron._

Nick sighed, as the feeling of wanting to kick himself was something that he was used to by now, with the kind of life he had been having. However, since his change in professions, it became something more common. The feeling that he spent so much time of his life following society's views in foxes while he could have been doing something good was a feeling that Nick found unpleasant.

Well, you cannot change the past, but you can work better into a better future. He needed to focus on the now. To continue doing his work by being a cop, making the world a better place, making both his mother and his partner proud of him…

_All the while investigating the seemingly supernatural things of the world._

Yeah, Nick's life was a bit confuse at the moment. Maybe his mother had a certain reason in being worried like that, if he would be running into coyotes with flaming ropes, tigers who made the ground explode and killer blue butterflies…

All of sudden, Nick stopped on his tracks. Be blinked, as his mind reeled back to what his mother had just said to him moments ago. About the blue butterflies.

How did she knew?

Nick had not told her about what was happening. Both because he didn't wanted to worry her, and because he was sure that letting his mother think he was losing his mind was not a good idea, so he abstained from telling her anything about the mysterious things that had happened on his life in the last days.

He hadn't told her about the butterfly… How could she know..?

Suddenly, the beeping of his cellphone called Nick's attention out of his reflection. The fox soon was fishing out the device and looking at the screen.

Someone had sent him the link to a website.

Nick blinked, coking his ear and looking at the message.

"What is this?" The fox muttered to himself, as he tapped into the screen, looking as the link guided him to a website he had never visited before.

He looked at the site, and as he did, his face changed to a certain kind of surprise.

"What the nuts?"

* * *

Bogo sighed as he fell back in his chair. Once more, he was forced to stay up 'til late to look up into important matters. Just part of the brunch that you face when you are in a position of power and responsibility, like being a police chief.

He fumbled about the papers, when his phone beeped.

Bogo pulled it, and saw that someone seemed to have marked him with some link.

Bogo rolled his eyes, adopting a scowl as he looked at the screen and tapped right into the link.

_I swear, if it is another propaganda of horn polishers…_

However, it was not a propaganda for any product for aesthetic beauty. Actually, it was something that Bogo surely was not really expecting.

His expression changed to one of surprise as he looked at that, before morphing to one of angry annoyance, and he resisted the urge to smash his phone.

* * *

Benjamin Clawhauser had just finished his last shift, and he had switched places with the black rhino who was in charge of the night shift.

Benjamin yawned, showing off his fangs as he stretched his body.

_Whew, what a long day._

Now, Ben was never the kind of mammal who complained about work, but he had to admit that sometimes the day just seemed like it would never end. The plump cheetah was now happy that he could go home and have a good night's sleep. If those two would not be up 'til late watching the night horror marathon again.

_The electric bill has been coming a little bigger because of this. Maybe I should talk with the boys…_

Suddenly, Benjamin's phone chirped, and the cheetah fished it out to see that someone had sent him a link.

_Oh, what is this? Oh! Maybe it's a new Gazelle videoclip!_

Ben became excited as he opened the video on his phone. However, this excitement evaporated and was replaced with an expression of mortification when he saw what the link took him to.

"O… M… Goodness…"

* * *

All over the city the mammals were receiving a link and sharing it with their friends, and it was always the same link, one that led to a specific website.

Once they arrived, there was a black screen and soon, letters started to scroll up into the screen.

_Have you ever felt that there was more to this world than you think?_

_Like there was something out there that was hidden just out of sight?_

_That there was something that someone was trying to hide from you?_

_Well, let us tell you two things:_

_First: you are not alone._

_Second: You are not wrong._

_There is something hidden in this world. Something that had been there ever since forever, and that now you just cannot see._

_A curtain was pull over your eyes to conceal the truth from you._

_However, with the Darkest Hour, the curtain has finally be lifted._

_They are trying to pull the curtain back, to blind your eyes._

_However, we are not willing to let it happen._

_We want to make sure that you see the truth._

Then, the whole screen faded to black, and faintly, something started to appear in the black screen, as if it was glowing.

It was a curious symbol or logotype of silvery coloration.

Above it, words appeared in red.

**_THE TRUTH ABOUT MAGES_**

Beneath, there was a gallery full of videos…


	12. Fear Spreads

_There is no passion so contagious as that of fear._

**_~Michel de Manetaigne_**

* * *

What happens when something you were sure before suddenly starts to seem doubtful?

Well, that actually depends very much on what kind of mammal you are. Some are able to accept changes in view of reality quite smoothly, while others tend to resist the change of the ways that things are "supposed to be".

The most classical example of it would be of mammals who hold strong prejudices, and they insist in maintaining them as the world around them changes. With the most meaningful example of this was the legalizing of interspecies marriage in many states of Animerica, in the midst of the nineties. Most animals accepted it nicely, but a good deal of conservative individuals refused to accept it as something that should happen. The amount of protests was staggering, but they all ended being for nothing, as the things had changed and they would not go back the way they were. Still, until the present day, many mammals still refuse to accept marriage between different species as something that should happen, as it is something that "goes against the natural order".

Yes, indeed, mammals react in many different ways when the world and their beliefs are put to the test, when the current reality of the world no longer fits their beliefs and perceptions.

Now, imagine that suddenly something comes that completely changes your entire perception of reality? Something that seems to be so radically different from what you consider "normal" that you would refuse to accept it unless it was forced upon you? Something so against your notions of common sense that it causes you to question everything that you thought you have always known?

Well, this something has already come, and in the form of a website.

* * *

The studio was cleared, and the intro music of the News Report of the ZNN sounded, as the two animals stood in the desk, looking at the camera as the image focused on them.

"Good night." Said the first one of the two, a snow-leopardess with silvery-grey fur with white patches and black spots, with white around her eyes and on her muzzle and down her neck. She was wearing a formal clothing that consisted into plum jacket, a pink shirt, and she was wearing a skirt that matched the jacket, but you could not see, since only her upper body was visible above the desk. She had a nose of burgundy coloration, and she had blue eyes that now were focused on the camera, as she kept a neutral and professional expression. This was no other than Fabienne Growley, the leading female anchor of the ZNN, quite a celebrity in Zootopia.

"On the first news of the night, mammals all around are still reacting to the website that has come into air three months ago, entitled  .zoo, which contains a great quantity of videos that supposedly show supernatural events, all performed by individuals that are identified as 'mages' by the descriptions given by the website." The leopardess said to the camera, maintaining a neutral and objective expression, not letting show any form of emotion that would show any form of personal opinion or bias in the matter, as it was required from a reporter like herself. "In the weeks following the airing of the website, the videos shown in it have been shared a record amount of times, with sometimes it reaching the house of a tens of thousands of shares on a single day."

The camera switched to the one sitting by her side, who was also a figure of fame and prestige in Zootopia. The second anchor of ZNN and Fabienne's co-worker, Peter Moosebridge. He was a big moose, with a big and proud pair of antlers, a brown face and a neck covered in thick fur, as well as a "goatee" of fur on his chin. He was wearing a work suit with a pink shirt and fuchsia tie with a golden clip. Like his coworker, he was only visible from the waist up, as his lower half was under the table. He had the same professional expression as Growley, and his brown eyes were focus on the camera.

"The website and the many videos available in it, apparently 'exposing the hidden world of the supernatural' have amassed a great quantity of reaction from the public. While some mammals still dismiss the videos as fake, and some even go as far as to describe them a 'poor taste joke', there is a great quantity of mammals who are reacting to the video by taking it as real, as professionals who checked the videos ensure that they are not fake, and the events recorded cannot be fully explained."

* * *

_Somewhere in England_

"How can this be happening!?" Sanders cried out in pure frustration and dismay, his voice booming in the round table in which many mammals were sitting. The mammals in the table did not really had an answer for this, and the lack of answer was greatly displeasing the fennec fox. He turned to a familiar raccoon.

"Didn't you said that this was simple, Maskell!?" The small fox said to the raccoon, who remained neutral. "Didn't you said that it was just a question of making them all 'look at _this_ paw instead of _this_ one!?" The fennec was gesturing with his paws as he said that, showing them as if he was explaining a trick to a child, the mockery was obvious. "Didn't you said that you would have everything under control in two weeks at most!?"

"What do you want me to say?" The raccoon said, "Things didn't pan out as I had expected."

"And one more memorable understatement added to the records." Calves said; the black goat with white hair was resting his chin on his hooves, one of them idly playing with his beard. As of right now the goat seemed to be among the few mammals sitting on that table who was able that at least looked completely calm. Different from others.

"How can you be so calm!?" Sanders demanded, sounding and looking like he was about to explode. "We are on the verge of the ultimate tragedy and you are in there acting like you are waiting for someone to bring you coffee!"

"Excuse me if I don't see a point into acting as if the world would end in a few hours." Calves said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"The feeling might pretty well be the same." Said another voice. This one came from another animal sitting on that table among the others. He was a domestic cat, standing on around 3'1'' feet tall, with a slender body that denoted a researcher instead of a warrior. He was a cat of a breed that had a lot of fur, with the fur of his body being of a light coloration, while the fur on his ears, around his paws and feet, and on his muzzle going into a soft shade of ebony. He wore a black blazer jacket with white shirt and matching dress pants. He had earrings on his ears that hanged into triangular shapes. Despite the tune that he spoke that, he had a sly smirk on his face, and his eyes were of a shade of blue. His tail was long and bushy, having the same light shade as his body and ending into the ebony coloration, and it swished back and forth behind him. "After all, one of our main goals has always been remain out of sight. Or am I wrong?"

The rest of the table looked at him. From Mustang, the horse with long mane and tail, to Vanhorne, the white impala with jewelry hanging form between her horns. None of them was able to answer, mostly because they all agreed with what the cat had said. It was Lupine, the big wolf, who spoke.

"We all know how dire the situation is, Catlow." He said, speaking to the cat.

"Good, then we all know how bad this slip was." The cat said once more. "So, why haven't we done anything to fix it already?"

"It is not so simple, Sir Catlow." Said a female voice. This one who spoke now was a dog. She was taller than the cat, standing on 4'6'' feet tall, with a slender but muscled body. She was voluptuous, being attractive on her own right. The fur of her body was of a soft, pastel coloration, which was almost close to a soft pink. She had also a great deal of fur on the top of her head, which was of a golden coloration, looking just like hair. She was wearing white clothes that were trimmed in golden, consisting into a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of pants. She wore a pair of square-lensed glasses over her face, on her dark greenish-blue eyes. She looked calm as she spoke that, locking eyes with the eye. "We never had to deal with anything like that, as all of you probably know." She looked around as she spoke that, "We never had a situation in which so many of us were caught on camera and the video evidence was exposed to the world in such a fashion."

"Oh, please." Catlow said, "You should be able to get rid of that easily, Collington." He said to the female dog. "After all, you are quite smart, and you even understand of all of that computer stuff better than most of us." He said to her, "Unless of course, your abilities have been overestimated since you joined this council." He wasn't even trying to hide his condescending tune, and the dog did not showed irritation, but she gave him an piercing stare.

"You think I haven't tried?" Collington spoke to him in a natural tune, however, who knew her, like Calves did, would be able to notice the very subtle hint of annoyance in her voice. "I have spent three days trying to shut down the website, but it seems that whoever has programmed it made sure to protect it from any source of hacking form external sources. The core code is completely shielded from any hacking, not allowing any form of alteration into the central program, it even seems as if the website somehow hardcoded itself into the network, preventing even from being completely deleted."

Both she and Calves were sure that most other members had no idea what any of that even meant, and the blank expressions in some of them were enough proof of that. Still, they seemed to know the gist of it: they could not erase that.

"So, you are basically saying that the thing will remain right where it is, ain't that right?" Lykins said, as the lynx adopted a very neutral pose, even though his expression showed that he was not as tranquil as he was trying to look. "Well, that poses a serious trouble." He added, as he looked around. "As that website does expose a lot of mages, even though it is not possible to know their identities…"

* * *

"The videos of the website circulate over a great deal of platforms of the internet, before they are eventually deleted." Fabianne continued to say to the camera. "However, the videos continue to be posted over and over, shared from the main website. Following, you see a few images of the said videos."

As she said, the screen was taken by the images of the videos, taken straight form the internet, some even straight from the main website  .zoo

And some of the images were quite interesting…

(footage)

_One of them showed what seemed to be the recording from a traffic camera, which showed a beaver approaching a figure that was considerably smaller than him. The beaver looked like he was being rude to the figure, gesturing heavily and seemingly screaming at the figure. The figure, at some point, got up, and gestured into a nearby puddle into the ground. The water of the puddle moved and rose on its own, forming tentacles and eventually a body. Soon, the puddle had turned into some kind of octopus made out of water. The beaver took a step back, looking scared. The smaller figure gestured to the water octopus, making it crawl to it with its many legs, and then, it gestured at the beaver, making the octopus jump at the said mammal, who was quick to flee, being chased by the water creature. The cameras changed angles to show the beaver running, with the water creature coming behind it. _

_The next video looked like it was from a security camera. This one showed a lonely figure in the middle of a desert square, crossing a small bridge over a pond. As it walked, the figure rose a paw, and soon, the side of the bridge seemed that it was being covered in green, as plants and vines grew over at an impossible speed. The figure simply walked away, as if nothing strange had happened, getting out of sight._

_The third and last video was the one that showed what seemed to be a camera from a car. It showed, a car stopping into the street, after nearly hitting an incoming carriage pulled by ostriches. After the near collision, the owner of the car, a rhino, came out of the car, seeming like he was screaming at a figure that had come out of the carriage. He looked like he was screaming at the figure, and soon, he was pushing the figure, who was significantly smaller than him. Soon, the figure rose a hand and flinched its wrist, causing the rhino to fly upwards. The figure remained into the sight of the camera for a while, before the rhino came crashing back down._

_It was to be noted that, in each one of the footages, the figures who were the "mages" were heavily blurred or somehow covered digitally. In some cases, it was hard even to guess the species…_

_As the videos rolled, Moosebridge spoke:_

"Many defend that the videos are actually fake, as it is supported by the fact that the images of the 'mages' are blurred and distorted, making their possible identification difficult. Some specialists claim that this compromises the validity of the videos, once it proves that the footage have been altered. However, many specialists in video have analyzed the footage, and have come to the conclusion that the only alteration into the footages is the blurring of the image of the figures identified as 'mages', while the rest of the videos are said to be legitimate."

(end footage)

As the image changed from the videos back into focus, the moose continued:

"The videos continue to be shared online, and all the while, they continue to gather all kinds of commentaries and reactions from mammals…"

* * *

"… and the worst part is, since it is hard to identify the mages that appear in the videos, it is hard even for us to track them down." Lykins said. "Well, I hate to say it, my friends, but it really looks like the situation has escalated completely out of our control. "A heavy silence followed this, as most of them were looking down. Some in anguish. Some looking troubled. Some with expressions that denoted complete defeat.

"Well, I guess it was bound to happen." Said Calves. "There is a saying that says that you can't fool all mammals all the time, right?"

"I just cannot believe it." Sanders said once more. "How can we be defeated like that? By some… web-thingy on the internet? We are mages!" He cried out, slamming both of his fists into the table. "And we cannot even find out who is the one behind this to deal with them?"

"No can do." Collington said. "The ones behind it seem to be able to cover their tracks, in all possible ways." She said to the others, looking around them. "Not only digitally, but also from other forms of tracking.

The other animals looked at her.

"You mean…" Vanhorne said.

"Yes, it seems like that." Collington said. "They probably are initiated in the mystic arts as well."

Another pause, and now expressions of outrage and anger flourished among some of the ones in the table.

"If it is someone of our world, then they are all traitors!" Sanders cried out in frustration and rage. This outburst would make many animals much bigger than him recoil in fear of that small animal. "They deserve the worst kind of punishment befitting this kind of action!"

"Indeed." Said Mieczyslaw, as the wolf continued with his arms crossed. "This kind of behavior is dangerous, and there is no excuse to exposing all of us like that."

"There is no way to fix it?" Vanhorne asked once more. "There is not way to reverse this situation?"

"I tried the best I could." Maskell said. "No one can accuse me if not doing all on my reach."

Sanders scoffed at this, however, Calves showed more sympathy towards the raccoon.

"Well, if you did the best you could, we have no reason to doubt, correct?" He looked around as he asked this, and no one disagreed with him. At least, not aloud.

"Well, like I said, maybe it was fated to happen." He spoke once more, and he now seemed to be into reflection. "The world has changed a lot since the Association was first founded. It changed a lot since I was young. Nowadays, information acts in a way that we cannot possibly comprehend. Videos can be made and share by anyone. Messages can cross the world in seconds. All of that in ways that – forgive me if you all disagree – easily can match or even surpass what we can do with our own methods."

Indeed, there were some angry looks as he said that, but Calves seemed like he barely minded this, and he simply sighed:

"Well, it is the digital era, after all. It was only a matter of time before information would move faster and in greater quantity than our capacity to control and suppress it."

Another silence, as every member of the table was force to acknowledge that the goat was correct. In fact, they had been able to deal with information very well in the past. Suppressing some news from circling. Erasing and destroying evidences. Making sure the ones who would witness would not be able to tell. Discrediting those who couldn't be easily silenced. However, the way that news were circulating now… it was almost unbelievable, even for individuals like them, who dealt with what lied beyond the scopes of common sense.

The fact that there was a mysterious force clearly working against their efforts made the matters all the more difficult. It seemed that someone was keen on revealing to the world that the supernatural did existed. There was no denying it.

"It seems that we cannot fix what was already made." A voice spoke. The animals in there turned their heads to look at the source of the voice, and it was someone who they knew never talked when there was no need. The deer was strong and fit, looking quite healthy for a red deer. When standing, he should be around 6'8'' feet tall. The fur of his body was of a reddish-brown coloration, thick on his neck and his upper back as it was usual on adults of his species. His eyes were of a shade of scarlet, looking quite cold and calculative behind his glasses. He wore a simple suit of indigo colors, with a plain black tie. He was dressed so formally and commonly that many would probably mistake him by the manager of a bank. He was among the few individuals of the table who seemed to be completely composed, and not letting show any form of emotion. He simply had his hooved fingers intertwined as he rested his forearms in the table, with a very neutral expression on his face.

"The information is running faster and wider than our capacity to suppress it now, and it is probably too late already." He spoke somberly to everyone present. "Many questions were asked, conclusions were made and convictions were taken. The proof, even if from a dubious source, is irrefutable. Even the greatest fools are slowly coming to terms with it."

"Some of them are denying it with all they have." Vanhorne said, trying to sound as optimist as it was possible in a situation like that. "Many are still trying to contest the videos, maybe they will simply dismiss it all as fraud."

"Maybe not." Collignton said once more. "While it is truth that many are publicly dismissing the videos and labelling the entire story as a fake, in the depths of internet, it seems that everyone is accepting that the videos reveal the truth. They are accepting that magic exists."

The deer sighed as he rose his eyes to look at the mammals in that round table, and spoke the words that all of them dreaded to hear. "It is no longer possible to hide the existence of the supernatural. All that we built and protected for so long might be in danger."

There was a heavy silence, followed by some sounds from the rest of the table. One of the animals was Sanders, who groaned.

"You only speak when it is to bring bad news, Jelel." He said, referring to the deer, who didn't even deign to look back at him. "So, to sum it up, we are completely and totally screwed."

"Still soon to say for sure." Calves said.

"What do you mean by that?" Sanders said to him. "All the effort of the past centuries is going down the drain!"

"The future I never certain." The goat spoke, now locking eyes with the fennec. "Perhaps the results of this could not be a complete disaster, as many of us have always believed."

The table all looked at him. Some of them inquisitively, while others were positively hostile.

"Oh, really?" Mustang said to him. "Well, maybe you would like to take another look on the reactions of the world to our presence."

* * *

"…however, a reaction that seems to be the most presen seems to be fear." Moosebridge concluded, and the camera switched back to Growley.

"More reports are coming from all of the country of mammals protesting against the so called 'mages'." As she spoke, a feed appeared behind her, showing images that varied from images of armed groups of mammals, to what seemed to be protesting groups, and even to some banners with words like "God Hates Magic".

"While reactions are actually varied, a great number of mammals seems to be reacting to the presence of these individuals with fear." She spoke, and next, images showed showing off what seemed to be interviews with other mammals.

_(footage)_

_"I always knew that there was something strange going on!" An antelope said as he looked at the camera. "I always knew that there was something really strange going on in this world! I knew that there was more than we met the eye!"_

_(cut)_

_"These mammals can do things that no mammal should be able to do." Said a jaguar. "If these videos are true, if there are mammals that can do things like that, then they should be locked away before they can hurt anyone."_

_(cut)_

_"One of them threw a guy to the sky with a gesture!" said an alpaca. "I mean, how does that happen? Did you saw how small the guy was and how big the rhino was? And the freak made it look easy! I'll be afraid of getting out of home if there are guys like that around."_

_(cut)_

_"It is freaky." Said a female bear. "To think that the stories of sorcerers who curse people and turn them frogs could actually be real. Makes you wonder if it is really safe to go around."_

_(cut)_

_"They should be slaughtered!" Said a wildebeest wearing some kind of religious outfit. "Magic is a sin! A crime against God! Those warlocks and witches who sold their souls for this power have turned their backs on God and must be punished! They shall all burn in the fires of Hell!"_

_(cut)_

_"This is an absurd." Said a familiar bunny in her police uniform. "Mammals are all getting at each other! I have some neighbors who don't even get out of home anymore! Acting like this is not the answer! We cannot let fear grip us and makes us turn on each other! Not again!"_

_(cut)_

_"I just wish everybody would stop this non-sense!" Chief Bogo said to the camera. "I get bothered every five minutes with calls on 'mages'! Bah! Will you all grow up and stop this!? When this is over you will all be feeling like idiots for having believed those things!"_

_(cut)_

_"How do I feel?" Nick Wilde said, lowering his shades to look at the camera. "Well, I have to say, it is something that you don't expect, right? I have been out there for a while. I've seen some things. Still, it is hard not to be surprised by something like that. I wonder if any of them makes money by performing at parties…"_

_(cut)_

_In the camera, there was a fat, pudgy cheetah with brown eyes and wearing ZPD uniform. He had a certain spot in one of his cheeks that resembled a certain big-eared figure. He looked at the camera, unblinking. "W-what do I think of it?" He asked. "I-I… I… Well…" The cheetah tried to say, but it seemed to have lost his voice, as he only kept staring at the camera, his mouth opening and closing, making him kind of look like a fat fish. Suddenly, he turned around and rushed out of sight of the camera._

_(cut)_

_"They have been around for a long time." Said a cape buffalo to the camera. "They act from the shadows and remain hidden just beneath our snouts. I know that, I've known for a long time. They are capable of things that we don't imagine, and later on, they leave no trace. They tried to silence everyone who could expose them, but not this time…" The buffalo stopped a little, and he seemed to smile to himself as he spoke next. "I have been called crazy by everyone. I have been said that I was stupid for believing that… but I have always known… I've known what I saw…"_

_(cut)_

_In the camera, there was no other else than Gazelle, the jewel of Zootopia, and she looked at the camera as she spoke. "What I think of all of that? Well… to be honest, I don't really know." She spoke, in as much sincerity as she could. "I have to say that I'm surprised… I have to say that I'm not even sure if any of that is real… but one thing I know, turning on each other is not the answer." She looked right at the camera as she said that. "No matter how much things are changing, and no matter how overwhelmed we are, there is no excuse for us to turn on each other. It is irresponsible and inconsiderate to start attacking each other like this. It is not the answer. It was _never_ the answer. So please, even if you feel scared, I ask you, please stop."_

_(end of footage)_

The videos finished, and the image once more focused on Moosebridge.

"These are some of the reactions of the people to the videos, which are taken more and more as truth. The appearance of these videos and the 'revelation of magic', as they have been described, are being interpreted in many ways, from the coming of a new era to the end of the world."

* * *

"They are scared." Colington said. "We have convinced them that we did not existed, and now they found out we really do. Of course they are scared and confused."

"Scared animals tend to do stupid things." Mieczyslaw said.

"Truth." Another animal said, and this one was a tiger. He was big and strong, as it was to be expected from a predator of his stature. He had a strong body and thick arms, denoting someone who was made for battles. He should be 9'4'' feet tall when standing. The fur of his body was of a carrot-orange coloration, with white on his muzzle and down his neck, long whiskers on his face, and black stripes forming patterns on his body. His eyes were of a golden coloration. He was wearing some nice clothing, including a black shirt, black pants, and a long coat of black coloration. He was wearing a pendant that had the form of an eye from his neck. "And the question in here is: what will all those animals do now that they are scared of the strange mages?"

"You are pessimist as always, Clawse." Calves said to the tiger, who only looked back at him.

"Forgive me for being realist in the nature of mammals and on how the world works." The tiger said to him. "They are scared of us. They are afraid that we will do something against them, and they have the right to be, considering what we could do to them if we wanted."

The tiger looked around, and the animals in there looked at him in different ways, for while some were reproving, many of them actually agreed.

"So, it is no surprise that they are resorting to trying to shut us off or even to destroy us. As some of them clearly already started trying…"

* * *

"On other news." Growley said to the camera. "It was reported yet another terrorist attack." She spoke, as she looked to the camera with all seriousness that was demanded of her. "This is just another of a series of bombings and attacks that seen to be encouraged by the videos of the website, all centered on locations that seem to be related to esoteric themes."

Behind her, appeared images as she continue to narrate what was happening.

"Among the attacked places, are a store of supernatural materials, a fortune telling house, and a fan club of fantasy. One survivor of said attacks claimed that, right before the bombing, someone, possibly a culprit, supposedly said: 'death to all sorcerers'."

"This is only another example of the string of violence that has been sprouting in the past months, which include personal attacks and acts of violence." Moosebridge said, and behind him, appeared a picture of a leopard that looked like he had been severely beaten. "On more recent events, we can also list the beating of a street magician by a group of still unidentified mammals. He is one among a number of mammals who had recently been attacked and beaten, supposedly for being suspicious of being a mage."

It returned to Growley, who looked at the camera as she continued.

"Also, this morning there was a group reuniting in downtown Zootopia. Apparently, they were protesting against the alleged presence of mages in Zootopia."

_(footage)_

_Now it showed images from the said protest, which gathered an amount of mammals. They weren't a legion, but they were more than just a few. Many of them were screaming and shaking their fists as they seemed to be chanting something._

_Growley's voice continued:_ "This group seems to be one of the groups that have formed in the last months, as in another form of reaction to the many videos that come from the website. These groups, apparently moved by the 'danger that mages represent to good mammals', have been appearing over the country, reuniting in places and demanding for the government to do something about 'the mage situation'."

_As she finished speaking, the camera now focusing in a mammal that was in the protest. It was a female armadillo. "I had an encounter with these mages months ago! Just a week before the website aired! I can tell first paw how dangerous they all are! We cannot let them go on doing whatever they see fit! What if they start attacking the poor mammals with their black magic and their spells? What if they start turning us into frogs, or making us turn into stone? Someone got to do something about it! The police has to do their job to protect the good citizens, and so have the government! Someone got to do something about these evil individuals!"_

_(end of footage)_

"The government have remained silent in regard to what is being asked and said, but they insist for the population to remain calm." Growley said, and then the camera shifted now to the moose.

"These kinds of reactions can see all throughout Animerica, and they seem to reflect the global reaction to the videos, as the website is available in several languages in several countries, and many of the videos are said to have been recorded from other countries, and the website itself claims that there are mages all around the world." Moosebridge said to the camera. "This has sparked reactions in a world-side scale.

_(footage)_

_More videos came, and these videos showed things from all around the world, from France to Greece, going all the way to Astroalia and Nippon._

_Moosebridge continued: _"All over the world, anti-mage protests have sparked in answer to the videos. On religious countries, there have been an elevated number of protests and even of acts of terrorist."

* * *

"These attacks truly are worrisome." Calves said, "But most of them have not been directed to actual mages."

"But some of them were!" Sanders said urgently. "Also, they are getting closer!"

"_That_ is truly worrisome, even though they can't possibly represent an actual threat." Catlow said, idly playing with his claws, and most of the animals in the table agreed with him. However, some of them had the good grace of looking bad at the cat. Among them was Mieczyslaw, to whom the cat looked, before asking:

"So, my big friend, do you have information regarding what the military are thinking of this?" The cat asked, and the wolf looked intently at him before speaking.

"Our contacts inside the governments have told that the politics and military are all reacting to the revelation." He spoke, looking from the cat to the rest of the mammals in there. "The scientists look like they are still trying to refute the videos, but they are failing, and this is greatly troubling them…"

"No surprise there." Mustang said. "They do attain themselves too much to what makes their reality make some sense."

"Don't all mammals?" Collington said, looking at the horse. Mieczyslaw continued:

"The politics look like they are mostly fomenting the popular fear in order to benefit themselves. Not really a surprise either." He spoke, looking at the animals in there, before he adopted a more serious posture. "The truly worrisome thing is how the military seem to be reacting. According to our contacts, the military are doing what would probably be expected from the situation: acting behind the sheets to gather information and prepare in the case of an armed reaction."

"They are ready to have war with us." Clawse said.

"And that all around the world." Lykins said.

"If it was only in Zuusia, or only in Animerica, it would not be that much of a problem." Maskell said, the raccoon had remained silent up until now, and right now, he was feeling rather useless, in many different levels.

"So, they are all getting ready to fight." Catlow said finally. "Well, guess we all know what we should do, right?"

All eyes turned to him, and many expressions were in there as they looked intently to the cat.

"What exactly are you suggesting, Sir Catlow?" Said lupine, the big wolf having been listening very intently to the entire conversation, and he was now in his own turn of talking.

"Why, for us to prepare for war as well, of course." The cat said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. This caused some reactions from the other animals at the table.

"So, your suggestion is to go to war?" Calves asked him, "Quite radical, don't you think?"

"The situation is desperate, in case you haven't noticed." The cat said casually. "The world seems to be getting ready to get rid of us, and so, we should be ready to stand our ground. Many have, in fact, already started to make preparations."

"What kind of preparations?" Lupine inquired, as this was news to him, as well as for some members of the council.

"Just getting ready." He said casually. "Reinforcing the protections on their houses and workshops. Preparing powerful rituals that could repel most who came for them. Taking control over certain figures here and there."

"This sounds like getting ready to launch an attack." Collington said.

"It will pay if there actually is a war. Also in some casues, a preventive attack could be more valuable than reactions." Catlow said once more, his voice now losing some of the relaxed tune and looking around. His eyes then fixated in Mieczyslaw. "You control our military forces. You should gather the wizard marshals and tell them to mobilize our forces. You know, just in case."

The wolf growled at him. Jelel was quick to intervene.

"Maybe we should consider this as a form of precaution." The deer said; getting attention and breaking the tension that was threatening to build up in there. "Have our forces ready to counter any form of hostile advance against us."

"You mean, sending them to attack someone at the slightest provocation?" Mieczyslaw said, looking at the deer. "Like some have been trying to induce us to do for years now? I really did not expected something like that to come from your mouth, Jelel."

"Maybe it would be good to prepare for war." Mustang chirped in. "As a member of this council you should probably support this, since you are directly in charge of defending our way of life… yes, perhaps going to war would be the best thing we could do."

"No way!" Maskell said, not liking this conversation, and he was not the only one.

"Please, all of you." Said Vanhorne, as she looked around the table. "War is not a way of solving this situation."

"Why not?" Sanders said, "If they attack us we should just remain standing still and let them walk over us? This is not how mages act!"

"Mages also don't go starting battles like that." Lupine said.

"We would only be reacting to their attacks and aggressions to us." Catlow said. "It will be perfectly justified."

"_If_ they attack us." Lykins said.

"They are getting ready." Mustang said, "All that is happening indicates juts that."

"Still, they have not attacked us yet." Collington said. "Attacking after someone has attacked you is one thing, but attacking before they do inverts the positions. It will be an aggression from us against them."

"We need to think clearly before making any decision." Lupine said.

"The time for thinking might not be available." Said Clawse, "Perhaps acting now could be more desirable. Maybe we don't attack, but we need to make preparations for the case in which we are to be attacked. Ain't that what we have all been talking in here in the past five minutes?"

"If they do attack us, we need to be able to show to them that there are repercussions to their aggressions." Mustang said, calling forth a new wave of reactions.

"That's right!" Catlow said.

"This way we will look like tyrants." Vanhorne said to him, "This will do us no good in the long run."

"It will let them know that they cannot simply attack us." Mustang said.

"It is a valid argument." Clawse said.

"At this rate, it would be possible to have it as our last resort." Jelel said, and the others looked at him.

"I'm surprised that you are even considering something like this, Jelel." Said Lupine.

"Oh, are you surprised that I'm analyzing the situation objectively and come up with the most pragmatic conclusion?"

The wolf looked at him for a few moments, and he sighed, before saying, "Yeah, actually, I'm not surprised."

"It is a reasonable course of action, after all." Catlow said. "In our past, conflicts and battles had been a way of solving our problems and of showing who was stronger. Before we became a secret, no one would dare to mess with us, for they knew that there would be consequences."

"The times were different." Mieczyslaw said, his mouth still curling in a snarl. "It was before the Codex. We have new laws now. We don't go using our skills to oppress others and act as we please."

"Also, there is the fact that the armaments have changed." Colington said.

"What? Are you afraid of some bullets?" Catlow said with despise, "They are not danger to most of us."

"Once more, I'm amazed at how some are able to minimize the dangers that modern weaponry can pose." Calves said, "I can count to you many times in which underestimating the threat that an opponent poses has caused the downfall of many."

"No matter how dire the situation is, or how much problems we might have…" Mieczyslaw said to the members of the council, having particular attention to the ones who were clearly defending an armed response. "I'm not going to mobilize our forces to attack innocents."

"What about attacking the ones who are planning to destroy us?" Sanders said, looking back at the wolf with the same ferocity. "It surprises me that you are not actually considering this as a course of action."

"Excuse me if I favor a course of action that does not involves starting a conflict that could cost many valuable lives for both sides." The wolf spoke, looking very intently to the fennec, who was now snarling back at him. It really seemed that the tensions were rising with each phrase spoke by anyone in the room, and it was clear to most of the ones present in there.

Calves sighed. "Well, it is just like it was already said." The goat said, calling some attention. "Mammals do tend to become quite erratic when fear grips them."

"So we should ignore their actions just because they are afraid?" Mustang asked the goat. "I don't have the policy of ignoring individuals that could be dangerous only because they seem rather pitiful." The horse said as he looked at the goat. Calves rose his eyes to meet the horse's.

"Yes, we know many of your policies, Mr. Mustang." The caprine said in an indifferent tune. "However, in this case, I was not talking about _them_ specifically."

There was a brief silence after these words, as the present interpreted these words, some faster than others. Soon, there were some pretty angry glares being directed at the goat.

"Are you accusing us of being afraid?" Catlow said in a low voice, as if it was a warning. "We, whom are among the most powerful representatives of our people? Your fellow members of this council? You really should measure your words more carefully, Calves."

"I do it most of the time." The goat said, paying little heed to the kind of angry tune that the cat was using. "However, you have to admit that the way you are acting might actually lead some to think that you are, at the very least, quite insecure."

"I am not afraid of anything!" Sanders said out loud. "Certainly not of some mundanes!"

"Oh, so we are using this kind of language in here now?" Collington said. "I was pretty sure that we were more elegant than that." Once more, the subtle nuances of her voice were only perceptible to those who truly knew her, like Calves. The goat spoke right after her:

"It is obvious that we are all on the edge." He spoke to the members of the council. "However, I'm pretty sure that going to war against the world in this situation could possibly not be the best thing that could happen, for any of the sides."

"We have better chances than they have." Catlow said once more, still looking at the goat with some resentment. "You should know that pretty well."

"In case you have forgotten, I have already been in a war." The goat said in a somber manner. "You should understand that I would have my reservations about going into another one. No matter what the situations are."

There was no actual answer for that. If there was, Catlow refrained from giving it to the goat. However, the subject was still far from being done.

"We have to take action!" Sanders insisted once more. "We need to make sure that we won't suffer more than we already are!"

"We must _not_ start a war!"

"They are getting ready to destroy us! This makes them our enemies!"

"They are just mammals!"

"We need to think it rationally!"

"We don't have time for thinking now! Not when they are plotting how to attack us! We must defend ourselves!"

"I'm not gonna give orders for massacres!"

The shouting continued, and it was so intense that it was possible to hear it from outside of the room, which was supposed to be soundproof. A young reindeer was sitting just outside of the room on a bench, with a laptop on his lap, and he flinched as he heard the sounds of angry yelling that was coming from inside the room.

He was not alone in the anteroom, and as the yelling continued, someone said:

"They sure make a lot of noise, don't they?"

No one answered, and all of them, like the reindeer, continued to look at the door, wondering how that yelling was going to end.

* * *

"…and this concludes today's news." Growley said to the camera. "I am Fabienne Growley…"

"I am Peter Moosebridge…"

"…And this was ZNN's News Report. Thank you and good night." The snow leopardess continued, and soon, the sound of the closing soundtrack started playing, and the two were able to relax a little bit, even though not much. However, they were a bit calmer now that they didn't had to keep reading the teleprompter and keeping their straight faces all the time.

There were a lot of news in today's edition, but the news revolving around the website and the mages was something that surely dominated the news. No surprise, since it was probably the greatest news of the last couple years, even though it would turn out to be a big fraud.

"Everything is crazy lately." Growley said after the director called out the end of the recordings, and they were definitely out of air.

"I'll say." Moosebridge agreed with her as her was now organizing his papers. There was a brief silence after this. The moose ventured to look at her, and he saw that she was indeed rather nervous, if her body language was of any indication. After being by her side for a long time, he had gotten quite good into reading the signs.

"I honestly don't know what is going to happen." He admitted to her. "I do hope that this ends well, everyone is really scared about all of that."

"Yeah…" She agreed with him after a while of silence. "… including me."

He looked at her, and he saw how troubled she was. She looked back at him.

No one in the studio could see, but under the table, his hoof met her paw, their fingers intertwining.

Yes, they were both scared of what was going on, as they, like many others, were not sure of what was going to happen now. There was no way of knowing what was going to happen, as it seemed that the fear and paranoia were spreading about like fire in dry woods. The feeling of not knowing was usually what drove many mammals into frenzy, once they were not able to tell if tomorrow was going to be a better day or not.

All that was truly left to do was wait.

Wait and hope…


	13. Magic Nonsense

_I really don't believe in magic._

**_~J.K. Growling_**

* * *

Nick woke up just as he did nearly every morning. He yawned, snapping his tongue to get rid of the taste that built up on his mouth during the night. Getting up, he walked out of his bed to take care of the morning's business.

Nick didn't even bothered to look at the time, but he knew that the sun had not rose yet. Many didn't took Nick for the kind of mammal who would wake up early, but he _was_ an early mammal. It was something that came from the years he spent on getting up early in the morning to work on his hustles. Also, now it was a requirement of him to wake up before the sun, so he would be able to keep up with his energetic and always-ready-for-work bunny partner.

After emptying his bladder and brushing his fangs, Nick then was taking a bath. The water was cold. Nick had a hot shower at home, but he had a strategy he developed to move on with the day. Nothing like a splash of nearly freezing water to shock you completely awake and leave you alert and ready to face everything.

Still, Nick yipped when he was drenched with the cold water, nearly letting out curses.

The tod washed what he had to wash and got out of that shower as fast as he could, being swift in reaching out for a blow dryer, using it to blow his thick coat of fur dry. It was one of the disadvantages of having a long coat of fur, but Nick was not one to complain about his own fur. He simply dried himself the best he could, paying particular care and attention to his tail, not only drying it out by preening it. After all, the tail was one of the matters of greatest pride for any fox worth their own fur.

Soon, Nick was getting out of the bathroom, and after a while more dressing his working clothes, he felt ready to work. That was one day when Nick felt like getting out of his home dressed in blues, as his way of telling others: "yes, this fox made it to the ZPD, got a problem?"

It was a way of Nick showing to the world that he was more than just a sly fox, and that he could do as good to society as any of them. That he could truly make a difference, and that he was able to do most anything he put his mind on.

Nick started out his coffee machine as he reached for the remote to turn the tv on. It was good to be in well-informed of what was going on, even if it was very early in the morning. Luckily, there were news shows that were on at this time, ready to give the first news of the day to the mammals who woke up before the sun did.

Nick put the machine to work, and as he did, he kept his ears attentive to the news coming from the television.

_"... And this is yet another scene of one of the protests that have been riddling the city of Zootopia in the past days._" The voice of some reporter came from the television, "_The sun didn't even rose yet, and we have yet another group of protesters reuniting in here, they all protesting about mages and their presence in the city of Zootopia._"

Nick sighed as he heard that. Good thing he just made a strong coffee for himself, for it was obvious that it was going to be yet another of these days.

These protests were getting more frequent, with the last one having been just two days ago, making it the third of the week. People were demanding that both the City Hall and the ZPD to do something about the "mages of Zootopia" before they hurt anyone. They have been around ever since a few days after that website went on air. They have been growing in frequency ever since, and they have even started to gather more protesters.

Some of them actually seemed to be insecure by the fact that there were mages out there, and they actually expected someone to do something about it. Still, to Nick, it seemed that most of them only wanted some kind of excuse to make mess and to scream at others. Maybe they didn't even cared about what was happening, but they saw it as a chance to do what they liked, some of them even used the protests as excuse to vandalize the city and even to rob.

These protests were troublesome. Nick and Judy, as well as many other officers of the ZPD had to go and try to calm down these events. It was something taxing, and it involved usually going face to face with these protesters. Not only Nick almost was stepped and tased by them, but he was sprayed once or twice. He wondered why the "good and peaceful mammals" would carry fox Tasers and Fox-Away sprays with them. He would not be surprised if he found out that some of them actually started to bring guns to that. The thought worried him.

If there was yet another protest forming so early in the day, then Nick already knew, the day was going to be a taxing one.

He poured himself a generous cup of coffee, and he walked around as he drank it, getting himself a piece of toast and some nice starred eggs. Once more, Nick was glad that he learned how to cook, at least enough to be able to make some food for himself. It was better than having to rely on another mammal to do everything for him. Nick liked the idea of being self-sufficient and independent, and this, of course, involved having basic life skills, including the ability to prepare his own food.

Nick enjoyed his strong breakfast the best he could, knowing that this was probably going to be yet another day in which he was going to need all the strength that he could get.

They had been having many days like that lately.

This was something that honestly made Nick worried; both for himself, for his fellow officers, and for his bunny partner most of all.

Nick looked at the clock on his wall, and he saw that he still had some time before he needed to get going to find his partner on their route to work. Some time that maybe he could kill in talking with someone.

Now, Nick was not the kind who loved to babble and talk with his friends as way of making a therapy without having to pay. However, he would be lying if he said that he did not liked to have someone to talk about things from time to time. Problem was; most of his old "friends" had stopped talking to him since he became a cop, and some even gave him clear warnings not to contact them again. Trying to talk to one of them now would most likely put them on defensive, and some of them might make good to the warnings that they give him about to snitching.

There were others with whom he could talk, but most of them would not be up so early. He thought of one that had the habit of waking up as early as he did, and he decided that it was worth a shot.

By dialing a number on his cellphone, Nick took it close to his face, hearing the sound of the other line calling. He drummed his fingers on the table as he waited for the one in the other line to pick up.

It was taking rather long. Did he called too early?

Suddenly, they pick up, and on the other side, a familiar deep voice said:

"_Who is it!?_"

"Hey, Finnick! How is my little buddy today?" Nick said, as positively as he could to the clearly irritated fennec on the other side. "Just called to ask you how you are doing in this beautiful morning."

"_Wilde! Do you know what time is it!? The sun hasn't even rose yet!_"

"Yeah, guess you are not the early bird that you used to be when we worked together, huh?" Nick said, appreciating the irony of now being him the one to tease Finnick like that, when in the old times, when they first started to work together, it was the little vulpine who would come to Nick and tease him awake in the first hours of the morning.

Nick could hear grunting coming from the other side of the line.

"_Calling me this early in the morning… I didn't even got my eight hours sleep… I'm gonna be grumpy all day 'cause of this… And stop smirking, Wilde!_"

"Me? Smirking?" Nick said as innocently as he could, but truth was, he had a rather big smirk on his face. Yeah, it was hard not to have one when he could tease his small ex-partner in crime like that.

"_Yeah, you…_" Finnick said to him from the other end of the line, in a tune that mocked him for his hypocrisy. "_I know you are smirking now, I can feel it in your voice._"

"Oh, come on, I'm just teasing you." Nick said to him. "So, how you actually going, huh?"

"_Could be better without someone calling me so early in the morning just to ask me how I'm going._"

"_Fin?_" Nick could hear another voice in the other end of the line. "_Fin, what is going on? Who are you talking with?_"

Nick perked on his seat as he heard that voice. It was sounding groggy, as if the mammal had just woke up. However, what truly stand up on this voice was the fact that this voice was female. That combined with the early time in the morning induced Nick to take his own conclusions.

"_No one._" Finnick said, apparently to the other voice. He was trying to cover the phone, as it was to be noticed by the muffled way that his voice suddenly went. However, he was not doing a very good job. "_Just an idiot who don't have any notion of time. Go back to sleep, babe._"

_Oh, boy. He is with someone!_

"So, who is this in there with you, buddy?" Nick asked as soon as the fennec fox was back on line.

"_None of your business._" The voice came, really annoyed.

"Would that by any chance be your famous lady friend?" Nick said once more, "She sounds nice."

"_Want me to tell you where to put that phone of yours?_" Finnick said to him, and Nick was sure that the smaller vulpine would surely tell him. He preferred not to hear anything inappropriate so early in the morning, especially when he was still finishing his breakfast.

"Okay, okay. Sorry 'bout that." Nick said to him. "I was just teasing you, after all, this is what we do, right?"

It was an attempt to break the tension, and judging by the lack of nasty retort from the other side, it seemed that it had worked, so, Nick decided that now was a good time to continue.

"Yeah, really sorry to bother you and your girlfriend so early in the morning – hope the night was good, by the way – so…" Nick said, and he took another bite on his toast. "I just decided to call you to have a word. You know, talk a little bit, we haven't really spoke to each other since after this whole thing started."

Nick stopped to take a mouthful of coffee to swallow down the toast, before he continued.

"The whole thing of mages living among us is just crazy, you know." Nick said to him, "I'm still not sure what to think of it."

That was a lie; Nick had seen enough things to be more inclined to believe in it. However, he was still far too composed and reasonable become one of those protesters.

"How are you feeling about all of that? I was meaning to ask you that. Oh, since your girlfriend is there as well, maybe you could ask her what she thinks about that too… Fin?"

There was no answer on the other line, just the sound of the phone. Nick blinked, and looked at the phone.

_Did he… hung up on me?_

Nick looked at the phone, before conforming to it and going back into eating his food.

_Did I said something he didn't liked? Maybe he is just edgy about all that is happening. Everybody seems to be…_

* * *

In another part of Zootopia, Nick was not the only one who has woke up early. Judy was so quick upon waking up that she hit the button of her alarm clock still in the middle of the second beeping.

For a few moments, she just stayed in her bed, surrounded by a few plush tuys of her collection. Yes, Judy Hopps collected plush toys, she did since she was a kit, and it would be something that would call the attention of people who knew her and saw her as some hardcore bunny cop. Judy knew it was childish, but she just had a weak for those soft and adorable hugging toys. She still had a wide variety of them back in BunnyBurrow, even though she had already gave many of them to her younger siblings.

She stayed in her bed, hugging one plush in particular, which was a toony fox. Suddenly, she reached out, picking up her phone, and she changed positions, so now she was crouching in her bed. Her eyes focused on the window over her bed, which had the curtains drawn. She didn't had the habit of sleeping with the curtains drawn until a few months ago, but recent events made she acquire it.

With care, Judy approached the window, and gently moved a curtain aside. She looked outside, her eyes scanning the area in front of her window. The sun had not rose yet, so it was mostly dark, still, Judy strained her eyes to be able to see what was happening in the outside.

Just a couple mammals were walking into the sidewalks, after all, it was very early in the morning, and very few actually would be up at a time like this, since most mammals took a diurnal schedule. The building right in front had a few light on, as the mammals who lived in there seemed to enjoy making parties (to which Judy was never invited). However, the center of the bunny's attention was in the powerlines in front of her building, in which birds were able to perk and remain.

She looked very intently at those lines, looking for anything black and with wings, and she saw nothing in there. Of course, he saw a pigeon or two, the literal "early birds"; however, she saw no sign of the crow.

Looking a bit more to be sure, even venturing to look up to see if the said creature would be hoovering above, she finally sighed as she relaxed a little bit.

Sitting back on her back, she reached out to her phone, and she used the "recording" function of her phone to save a new audio file.

"Judy Hopps, entry of the crow." She began, being careful to speak in a low voice, to avoid waking up her neighbors. This was another occasion in which Judy would wish for the walls to be thicker. "Today is June 18th of 2018, 5:15 A.M. I just checked outside for any sings of the crow… I have not sighted it."

This was something that Judy had started doing in recent times. Ever since she started to have suspicion that she crow that Bucky said that was spying the building was actually spying on _her_, she started to pay very much attention to any apparition of the bird.

As Bucky had said, the bird would come every few days. It would remain perked in there, looking at the building. Or more precisely, it would remain in there looking at _her window_. She started to look for the crow, and she even started to keep a digital record of any time that she saw the crow, taking pictures and keeping audio records of her sightings.

She made sure to keep in secret the fact that she was keeping records on this, even from her neighbors. After all, she knew that if people found out that she had been keeping records on a bird that was stalking her, she would face some weird looks, some jokes, and maybe even some quite difficult questions. The only one who knew about these records was her partner, who was the one who was most inclined to believe her, once he was the one being stalked by a magic butterfly.

If anyone heard these from the two, they would most likely be label as insane. However, when you thought of what had been happening lately in Zootopia, in the country, in the whole world… well, maybe some mammals would actually take them seriously if they told them that.

Sighing, Judy got up, stretching her body and picking up her things, as she was getting ready to the start of the day. Grand Pangolin Arms did not had individual bathrooms in the apartments, having, instead a single communal bathroom. This was quite troublesome to some. Judy, however, had the advantage of waking up really early for her work, so she was able to go down, take care of her business, bath and go back to her apartment before the others would wake up.

Still, sometimes the bunny just wished that she could have an apartment with a private bathroom. Oh, well. Maybe one day, as of right now, the Grand Pangolin Arms still served her perfectly.

Once she was back to her apartment, and getting dressed, she caught herself wondering if the crow would follow her to her new home if she moved out of that building…

"The bird is outside again!" A voice came from the other side of the wall, startling Judy.

"Oh! Not that stupid bird again!"

"Yeah, 'that stupid bird again'! It is perked just out of the building again!"

Judy blinked, and rushed to the window, which still had the curtains drawn. She moved the curtain very slightly and slowly, just enough to be able to look outside. This time, she saw it.

Just perked into the lines, was the same familiar crow. The same creature of black feathers and red eyes that almost seemed like they were glowing. It just remained in there perked, looking ominously at Judy's window, even though the curtains were drawn. For a moment, Judy even thought that the crow had caught a glimpse of her eye.

She ducked out of sight quickly, but was able to recover and look back to the window, seeing the crow. She pulled her phone, and pointed the camera at the black bird. She took a picture, without the flash, and she quickly left the window, letting the curtains still cut off the sight of the crow.

It had come back.

It had come back as it usually did.

The comings were not periodic or constant, at least not since Judy started to keep an eye for it in case it came back. However, it would come back sooner or later, and just remain in there.

"Entry of the crow." Judy said, setting her cellphone to record once more. "June 18th, 5:45 a.m. I just saw the crow perched in front of my window again. The first time it has appeared in six days. Also, the third time it has appeared in the morning since the entries started."

Once she finished whispering, she put her cellphone down, and looked at the window. The curtains were still drawn, but she could feel that the crow was still on the other side, still looking at the window. Waiting for her…

"You need to stop this non-sense!"

"How can you call it non-sense? With everything that is happening?"

"Mages are one thing! For a bird to be watching mammals is another!"

"Maybe the bird could be related to mages! You can't know!"

"And you can!?" Pronk asked, and Judy remained silent as she continued to listen in silence to their squabble. "Because you have been looking into that esoteric meditation website!?"

"It has nothing to do with it!"

"Neither has the crow!" Pronk yelled back, a bit louder than he usually did. "Also, maybe you should stop looking at that thing! Others might think you are a mage and they start targeting us both!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"YOU SHUT UP!" Judy nearly jumped out of her fur with that yell. "You shut up! Because I know that a lot of mammals are becoming targets for going to fortune tellers and for playing magic RPGs! I don't want you getting targeted now for talking about crows that serve mages, because I do not plan to become a widower!"

There was a heavy silence following this. Judy looked at the wall, and she was almost sure that she could hear faint sniffing coming from the other side of the wall. She continued to look in there until her cellphone beeped.

She looked at it, and saw a new message for her.

_Carrots, just outside. I am waiting for you. (smilling fox izooji)_

Judy looked at the window, going at it and taking a look outside. The crow was still there, but now, Judy looked down, and saw a familiar fox standing on his police uniform. The fox looked up at her and winked.

She was actually able to smile back, and she texted: _Going down in a moment._

She walked to the door, but stopped, and looked back at the wall. These two had become unusually quiet now.

She pondered for a moment, and walked to the wall, knocking it gently.

"Huhh, boys?"

"Y-yeah?" One of them said, sounding strange, as if hurt.

"I… huhh, I'll be going now to work." She said to them. "Are… are you two going to be okay?"

"Y-yeah." One of them said, more upbeat a little. However, Judy was sure that she could hear someone sniffing. "We'll be fine. You know how we are. We scream a lot, keep silent a bit, and then we go back at screaming. You can go."

"Yeah, we are fine." The other one confirmed, however, Judy was not sure.

Still, she decided to go to work. She was already walking out of her apartment, and she had just barely closed the door when they resumed their normal yelling. Still, Judy was sure that there was something more behind that yelling. The things they had said, and how they had gone quiet like that. They had been on edge in these last months, each day more.

Walking down the stairs, she met up with her fox partner, with his usual sly smile.

"Heyyyyyy there, Carrots." He said, greeting her warmly, "So, had a good night?"

"Yeah, I did." She said, and subtly gestured to Nick, showing him her cellphone, which had something typed on it:

_The crow is here again. Right above us. Act naturally._

Nick blinked as he read that. However, he still retained his usual smirk, and he just asked:

"So, ready to go and make the world a better place once more?"

"Totally." Judy said, and they both turned and began to walk. As they did, Nick, at some point, asked:

"Is it following us?"

Judy ventured to look up to the sky, and she saw the dark shape of the crow following them against the indigo sky of the early morning.

"Yeah, it is." Judy said to him. "Just like it followed me two weeks ago as I walked to the subway."

"So, we are now sure that it is following you, right?"

"We sure are." Judy confirmed. "Just like we are sure that the strange butterfly is following you. Have you seen it lately, by the way?"

"Not on recent times." Nick said very casually. "I actually caught a glimpse or two of it, but I'm not really sure. It was really fast, and when I looked it was not there anymore. Maybe it got tired of looking at me?"

It would sound strange to anyone who was listening to the conversation, if they did not had previous knowledge of what the two animals were talking about. It almost felt strange to the two cops themselves, to talk about something like that in the middle of the street, as if they were speaking of a coded secret that only they truly understood.

However, they both could agree that, with all that was happening, it seemed that this could maybe not be so strange anymore. At least enough for them to drop their guard even so slightly. Still, they knew that they better not go telling to others about their worries, for multiple reasons.

"Saw this morning news?" Nick asked his bunny friend, trying to change the subject and put her mind out of the crow that was hovering above them. "It seems that there is yet another protest forming right now. These guys are truly early birds, aren't they?"

Judy looked up at Nick surprised. She was in silent, however, and only spoke when she went back into looking at the nearly empty street.

"This makes it the third one this week."

She spoke, and Nick agreed.

"Yeah, these guys really want to make a lot of noise over this."

"They are scared and confused." Judy said, and she suddenly was remembering her neighbors. She remembered their squabble that morning, and she also remembered that, in the following months, they had been louder than usual, and they also had been arguing more. "Everyone is."

Nick also remembered about how Finnick reacted when Nick made the question. That and the fact that lately the fennec seemed that he was becoming more and more distant.

"Yeah, I can agree with that." Nick said finally, and sighed. "Well, guess we can just keep doing what we can. So, should we hurry up to arrive at the station on time? Don't wanna give Buffalo Butt yet another reason to be in a bad mood."

* * *

The travel to the station via subway was rather uneventful. They lost sight of the crow as soon as they went inside. Two subways later and they were able to get out of the underground very near the station.

Clawhauser was in the front desk in there, surrounded by his morning breakfast as always. One quick word with the cheetah, trading good-days and stuff, and them the two small officers were off to the bullpen.

In there, the officers gathered as usual. The bigger ones gathered each one in a chair, while the smaller ones could gather many in a single chair for bigger animals. They seemed to be going their usual routines; it was hard to notice the tension that had been building in the past weeks.

As they walked, Eliot Fanghanel waved at them, and he seemed about to go to them, when Higgins came:

"Ateeen-hut!"

Soon the while room was ready for the chief, who walked to the stand. His unamused expression, close to constant annoyance, was in there as always. However, who knew the buffalo for long enough would be able to notice that the chief was more annoyed than usual. However, even that extra grumpiness seemed that it was becoming commonplace during the course of the past months.

"Okay, Okay!" The chief said, silencing the officers. "Everybody get seated."

Soon there was silence in the room, and the chief seemed like he wanted just to get things done already and go back home.

"Look, this day is one that already started busy, and we all have assignments for today, including myself. So, let's just focus on the important matters and get this over with."

It was clear by his expression and the tune of his voice that he was not very interested into jokes or any waste of time in the moment, and that was what stopped Nick form making any snarky remarks.

"If you were paying attention to the early morning news." The buffalo said to the mammals in the room. "Then you will know that this morning we have our third protest this week, and this, on itself, is already something that is worth of attention." He went through other files. "Also, today seems to be yet another day in which we have been receiving many calls regarding 'supernatural' events."

No one said anything.

"Not to mention the amount of calls about robberies, vandalisms and even of scammers who are taking advantage of all of this nonsense." He finished with a lot of annoyance. It still seemed that it was a good moment to be silent, however, it seemed that some in the room didn't noticed that.

"Excuse me, Chief." Fanghanel said, raising his paw as if he was a student in a classroom. "I have seen a lot of the videos of the website. All of them, actually." The wolf said, getting the buffalo to look at him. "Well, they seemed like a pretty big deal, and a lot of animals out there agrees. So, I guess I wouldn't call it _nonsense_."

The way he spoke was very friendly, and he was just sharing an opinion. Still, some animals in the room actually flinched a bit, as they looked at the buffalo, as if they were waiting for his reaction.

Bogo remained still, and he looked at the wolf.

"Officer Fanghanel…" The buffalo said to the wolf. "Are you saying that it is not nonsense to start to act like a bunch of primitive savages over videos that do nothing more than induce panic and mistrust into animals?" He asked, making the wolf shrink a little bit. "That we should all start to hear these stories and throw away our reason and common sense so we can follow superstition and paranoia?"

The wolf was a bit stunned (and honestly, quite scared) as he took a few moments to be able to answer that.

"N-no sir. Of course not."

"Oh, good." Bogo said to him, still rather calmly, before he lashed:

"Because if you did, I would seriously question your place in the ZPD!"

Fanghanel yipped at this, his tail tucking in between his legs. Some officers present also flinched, including Nick and Judy.

"It is already hard enough to be a police officer and having to deal with the many problems that can come from having to maintain order and peace in this city without all of this magical nonsense!" The chief started out his tirade. "Now we also have to lose our time with all of those irrational mammals, with their baseless protests and their claims that some mammal has cursed them! Bah!"

No one said anything in return; they knew that it was better to allow the buffalo to continue without interruptions.

"We deal with real problems, not some stupid irrational thing that mammals are taking more seriously than they should."

"B-but chief." Someone among the officers. "The videos in the website..."

"I've seen the videos, and they are all fake!" Bogo lashed again, making many of the officers in there flinch. "They might look legitimate, but I assure you they are fake! There is no such thing as magic!"

Another silence filled the room, as the buffalo took a deep breath to regain his composure. No one dared to say another word to the buffalo, as he tried his best to calm himself to continue his briefing.

"There is no such thing as magic." The chief repeated, much calmer this time, even though it was clear that he was still pissed over that. "Believing in it is not reasonable and makes no sense. Once everyone remembers this the whole scare will stop, things will go back to normal, and they all will be feeling like idiots."

Some animals in the room shared looks, and though they didn't dared to say it aloud, many of them quite disagreed with the buffalo, considering everything that was happening. The buffalo let out a snort, as he walked best to his podium.

"… and now I need to have an emergency meeting with Mayor Amur and the other mammals of the City Hall because people are falling for that." He said in a grumpy way, before he let out a sigh, and fished his glasses out of his pocket and placed them on his face. "But nevermind that, let's go to assignments."

Some animals felt really glad for the change of the subject, for it was already clear that the chief did not liked the subject, as it made him in have a worse mood than usual. They'd rather not get him angrier than needed.

Soon, the officers were receiving their assignments for the day. Some of the bigger and more experienced cops had received the task of supervising the protest that was forming, to make sure that it would not escalate out of control. Some officers were given the task of checking on these many claims that were being made of events involving mages (which Bogo was dismissing as waste of time, but someone still had to give a look). Other officers were given "real situations", which included the robberies, vandalisms and scamming situations that were happening during the time. Among these last, Nick and Judy were given a few assignments, once they were "two of the top officers of the force". Nick would be lying if he said that being in such a regard with his co-workers and his boss didn't gave him a boost in the ego.

"So, it seems that we will have a busy day, right?" Nick said to his partner. "Checking on some complaints of vandalism and of scammers around there. Checking on a few robberies that have been here and there. Finishing the day with a patrol over an area that has had a lot of these lately. Yeah, it seems that we can kiss our free time goodbye for today."

"Yeah, it seems." Judy said, and looked back at him. "We have been had less free time lately, with the protests and the wave of opportunistic crimes. The city is going crazy. Just as they did during the Night Howler scare. Maybe that is part of the reason why the Chief is so…"

"On the edge?" Nick said, and the bunny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Buffalo-Butt is surely grumpier than usual. Also, the things he say makes it seem that he hates magic."

"Nick!" Judy said, "He is not like these protesters! Don't say things like that!"

"I didn't said it." Nick spoke to the bunny, still keeping a calm demeanor. "Still, you got to admit, Carrots, he does get quite pumped up when someone mentions these magic things. And when someone says that the thing seem legitimate… It even seems that he is in denial…"

Judy had to admit. She too had observed that the Chief in particular seemed to be quite touchy on the subject of the videos and of the existence of magic and mages and all of that stuff. She had to admit that it even seemed a little bit suspicious. Still, she saw that the buffalo continued as dedicated to his work in the force as he had always been.

"Maybe he is just frustrated that the city is in such a state." She said to him, "That everyone is inclined to act unreasonable like that, and putting each other in danger."

"Yeah, maybe." Nick said, "It really is like the Night Howler scare. With the only difference being that now, instead of being afraid of predators going savage, mammals are afraid that some guy could cast a cure on them to make their fur fall." He spoke it very casually, and he leaned to his partner very slightly.

"Maybe it is a good thing that we kept Buffalo-Butt in the dark about our personal research. Who know what he would do to us for 'taking this nonsense seriously'…" Nick whispered at her, and even though Judy agreed to a point, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fox.

"Let's focus on our assignments..."

* * *

The day was rather busy for the two cops. Firstly, they had to check on someone who was scamming mammals for their money. Apparently there was someone out there who was selling some "magic detection devices", which were "guaranteed to be able to pick up any trait of supernatural energy".

It still surprised Nick how gullible some mammals could be, even with the things that were happening.

What wasn't their surprise when they found out that the scammer in question was no other than their old acquaintance Duke Weaselton, the king of bootlegging. It seemed that he chose another option to make money other than his bootlegged DVDs, and that it was making some success.

Weaselton was not happy for seeing them, it was for sure, and he still resented both of them for using Mr. Big to threaten him into talking. Still, there was little he could do about it when they both came for him. They caught him red-pawed and they had everything to file him for scamming and fraud. They took him in with little problem, but Weaselton seemed totally unfazed, saying that this was routine to him at this point, and that he would be out very soon.

"He is right, you know?" Nick mentioned to his partner after they dropped the weasel into the station to be filed up and put on the tank. "What he was doing was a minor crime, and right now there is a lot to deal with. Even if there wasn't, these kinds of crimes normally don't get too much punishment, only a fee and some community service. It _is_ a minor infraction."

After that, they were to go in check on some cases of vandalism. Most of these vandalisms focused on places that had a certain "occult theme" to them. Some fortune telling houses, some places that were said to be abandoned and/or haunted, and some places said to be inhabited by "strange mammals".

They had mostly broken windows and words spray-painted in them, like "**HERE BE MAGES"**, "**GO AWAY SORCERERS**" or "**CAREFUL, MAGIC AREA**", and things of the like.

Some of them were actually houses of secluded mammals that some neighbors were claiming to be suspicious, and that some even went as far as to call witches and "devil worshippers" (which was actually one of the things spray-painted in the houses). Most seemed just stupid pranks and some unjustified depredation of public and private property. There were even some vandalism happening to places like "Mystic Springs", which was rather famous, and had a very esoteric theme to them. Once they talked to Yax, the yak who was in charge, he admitted to them that their business had been affected recently, as some animals were scared that they could be magicians, but their business was still as good as ever.

The surprising part was that some of the "vandalism" wasn't all bad. There were things wrote on the walls and on the houses that was like "**PRAISED THE TRUE WIZARDS!**" or "**NEW MAGIC AGE COMING**" or even something like "**YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO OPPRESS MAGIC**", it was quite interesting. There was even some art of some sorcerers like those of fantasy movies and cartoons, as if it was a tribute to them.

It seemed that not everyone hated mages.

After this, there was the case of the robberies.

This was a bit wider in variety, as it seemed that some mammals took advantage of the protests and of the situation of the city and of the world at large to steal things from others. Once more, there were things being stolen from some places that were related to occultism, as it seemed that some mammals had gotten interest in it. They were stealing some esoteric ingredients, like frog eggs and newt eyes; and they were even stealing things said to have some supernatural property to them. Some magic stores were reporting the stealing of talismans, and Mystic Springs reported that some "special healing crystals" had been gone missing after some sessions, as apparently some clients wanted to enjoy their power a bit more.

It seemed that these things were becoming a bit more popular as targets of theft. It even remembered Nick of a smaller case that they had a while ago, when some crazy antelope that stole a couple's wedding rings claiming that they were magical rings of power, and claiming himself to be a wizard. It seemed that were more wackos like that around. It seemed that were a lot of more wackos around lately.

These subjects were also investigated and solved by them, with some of them having files reported of the stolen goods, and soon, all that was left to do was do some patrols to ensure that more things would not happen. Said events seemed to happen with particular frequency into a part of the city that some said to be "inclined to mysterious occurrences". This place would be somewhere where Savannah Central made border with the Rainforest District. The place that had a flair of city, but catching part of the forest and a little bit of the very wet climate of the rainforest.

The day had been busy as Nick predicted, and they made two breaks, one for lunch and another for an afternoon snack. Other than that, they didn't had time to relax or to make "personal researches" of any kind. It did helped them pass time, as the day, even though filled with things that they couldn't really solve, had been filled with enough things that they didn't had time to think of much else.

Compared to that, the patrol they were making to end their day was something that seemed pretty much calm, even boring.

The sun was on its way to setting, and it seemed that most mammals had remained either at home or otherwise out of sight of the two cops. The street was nearly empty, and all left for them was to patrol in their car and look for any sign of trouble, although it seemed that trouble had just finished its shift already.

This calm made Nick have the chance to relax, and he did so by watching videos on his cellphone. This, of course, did not very much amused his partner, who felt like she was being on patrol all by herself.

"You, know, Nick." She said to him, as she still drove and kept her eyes into the street. "Only because the street seems calm, it doesn't mean that you can lower your guard." She looked at him, the fox still had his eyes on his phone, but the movement of his ears made it clear that he was listening to her.

"They _do_ teach us that we should be always alert and ready for anything."

"I think those are the ranger scouts." Nick said casually to her. "'_Always prepared_', is part of their moto. At least the one I remember…" Nick said, and he must admit that he felt uncomfortable talking about ranger scouts, it brought back bad memories.

"Anyway, I was just browsing in the internet, looking for things that could be interesting." The fox said, changing the subject. "Also, seeing the news of the day, since we will obviously miss the ZNN's report. Do you know that the protest of this morning still hasn't ended? The guys are still protesting. I wonder if they made any breaks to go to the bathroom…"

Judy said nothing, and Nick decided to continue:

"It also seems that are a few other riots happening now. Yes, _riots_. The guys are progressing in this." Nick spoke to the bunny. Judy tensed as she heard that.

"Things are getting worse." Judy said to them. "They are all scared, and they don't know how to deal with everything." She admitted to the fox, making Nick look up from his cellphone to look at her. "I talked to mom and dad just the other day, and they say that everything is getting complicated in BunnyBurrow. It seems that a lot of mammals are scared that 'witches could come to get them'. Heck, they both seemed scared themselves… mom seemed so distant…"

Nick looked at the bunny, and he saw how troubled she actually looked. Yeah, the problem with the mages and the scare were practically everywhere, including in her hometown. The fact that she knew that her family was troubled by all of this seemed like it was causing her to see the amount of trouble that it actually was, and it was making her quite worried for her loved ones back in the country. Nick felt sorry for his partner, and he wanted to help her somehow.

"Well, not all of them are actually scared." Nick admitted to her, causing her to look very briefly at him, but keeping her focus on the road. "Some of them actually seem a bit excited over it."

Nick tapped into his phone as he spoke, and he soon was accessing his ZooTube account, and among his favorite videos and historic, among the movie trailers and life hacks, he also could find some videos that he had seen online in the past days.

"Take a look at these videos." Nick said as they stopped into a red light, and he showed her a few videos.

"See, in this one there is a group of guys who are trying to perform some magic ritual to bring good fortune. They got inspired by this new mage craze." Nick showed her a video that showed some mammals painting a symbol on the ground and then gathering around it wearing cloaks that seemed made from bathroom curtains as they chanted something. "Most of the comments call them wackos, but many of them actually ask if the ritual worked, and if they could do it themselves."

Judy looked at it, and Nick soon looked at another video.

"This guy in here actually talks well about mages." Nick said, looking into a video of a donkey. "He says that mages are cool guys and that maybe they could help a lot of mammals that can't get help from science. The comments are divided, with some calling him an idiot for defending mages and the other half agreeing with him." He said, Judy continued to look at him, and Nick reached for yet another video.

"Also, there is a lot of these guys." He showed her yet another video, and this one seemed like a ZooTube channel that resembled a commercial for a new reality show, showing a pig, a hyena, and a sheep, apparently all of them teenagers. "They call themselves 'Mage Chasers' and they want to 'let everyone see mages and know their true intentions to the world and themselves'. Many call them wackos online, but the guys actually seem to have a neutral stance on mages. They don't think they are evil or 'Satan worshippers', or anything."

Judy looked at him, and Nick looked back at her.

"Not everyone is ready to go at each other's throats over this. You just have to look well to see that only the craziest and the most intolerant mammals seem to be rioting, and the ones who join them only want to go along." Nick spoke to her. "I'm sure that it will be okay, you just have to wait and things will get…"

"I know, Nick." Judy said, not noticing that Nick had stopped talking and was now focusing on something else. "Still, the way mammals are acting right now… It is just like in the Night Howler case! Just like they did back them just because of the stupid things I said! It is so… argh! It just makes me so frustrated…"

"Carrots…" Nick said, as he was now looking at something that really caught his interest. However, it seemed that Judy had not heard him.

"I mean, I know that this time it had nothing to do with my actions, but it is still the same!" The bunny continued. "Everybody nervous, mammals looking at each other strange, fear plaguing the streets. Also, the fact that many are saying that the mages are responsible for what happened in Fangtropolis… It is so disturbing! We should be able to look past our differences and coexist!"

"Carrots…"

"Everybody is on the edge! My mom is more distant now. My neighbors are squabbling more than ever. The Chief is nervous at everything. Ben has been down nearly all the time. Everyone is on their nerves because of all that is going on.

"Judy..." Nick said, but once more the bunny continued on:

"… and it seems that there is nothing that we can do about it! We can just keep looking and hoping that things will get better, but we can do nothing to solve this! I would like so much to be able to do something about- Nick!" Judy said as the fox placed a paw in her head and forced it to turn into the direction that he was looking.

"Judy, I know you are in trouble, but look in there, in the corner." Nick said, making the bunny stop and let her face be guided in that direction. The direction Nick was pointing was one that was closer to the forest. The street was seriously rundown, and it was nearly empty save for two mammals in there. A tiger with camouflage clothing, and a coyote with black clothes and with an aviator's hat on his head.

"What?" Judy asked. "What is it?"

"These two in there." Nick said, and Judy knew that it were the two mammals on the street, once there was obviously no one else around.

"What, what about those two?" Judy asked to the fox. "Are they doing something illegal?"

"Carrots, it's _them_." Nick said, Judy looked back at him, and the fox concluded:

"Hudson Coyle and Zane."

Judy looked at him for a few moments, and then her eyes widened. She looked back at the two mammals in the street, and she now knew who they were. The mammals who had, on more than one occasion, threatened Nick. The ones who both he and Judy suspected to be mages.

"Are you sure?"

"Carrots, I'm a good with faces. And even if I wasn't, there is no way I would forgot those two, not after that night." Nick said, as Judy and Nick both now looked at the two mammals.

These two were just in there on the street, and they seemed to be chatting, even though it seemed that Coyle was the one doing most of the talking, while the tiger only remained in there with a grumpy expression, occasionally turning to him to say something.

These two animals were the ones that caused Nick to witness the first sign of the existence of magic before that website went on air. They were most likely mages. They would be able to give some answers as to what was going on.

They had not noticed the car or the two mammals in there, and so, the two decided not to call attention to themselves. Judy parked on the corner, and they both got out and started to watch the two animals while they hid.

The two remained in there for a while, and Nick and Judy even wondered if the two were waiting for something.

Soon, their question was answered, as they turned to a direction from which another mammal was coming. They saw a horse in tattered clothes approach them with a smile on his face and a star-shaped white marking on his brown face.

Nick looked at the newcomer for a moment, and he said:

"Carrots?"

"Huh?"

"Doesn't that horse looks familiar?" He said, still looking intently at the horse. "Maybe if he was shirtless and dancing… maybe with a heart-shaped flame on his hoof?"

Judy looked at him, and she looked back at the horse, her eyes widening as she also recognized the horse.

It was the horse of the square four months ago! The one who was dancing in there with the help of the guitarist wolf and of the dog DJ! The one who scared the armadillo lady with a heart made of flames and vanished into a smokescreen!

He approached the two, and the coyote greeted him warmly. The horse even hugged him a bit, and he even tried to hug the tiger, but the big feline stopped him with a mere gesture. The horse shrugged, and talked to the two, smiling.

"Do they know each other?" Judy asked, as the two cops continued to look from their hiding spot.

"It looks like it… Maybe the horse is a mage too?"

Yeah, Nick was sure that these two were mages after that he saw that night and after the website brought up that possibility. The horse was also famous, the video was on the net since that morning when he scared the lady in front of the crowd. As a matter of fact, that very same video was later shown on the website as a proof of existence of mages, as it was labeled: "**HOW MAGES CAN HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT**" showing how mages could do as they pleased and hide right under everyone's noses, thanks to the curtain that hid them from discovery.

They continued to look for a while, and they saw the tiger pull out a cigar. He looked on his pockets, apparently looking for either matches or a lighter. That was when the horse approached his hoof from his face, snapped his fingers, and produced a flame of green coloration from the palm of his hooved hand.

The tiger looked at it, and casually used it to light his cigar.

"Yeah, maybe he is." Nick said, as he and Judy remained in their hiding spot, looking at the mammals in the other side of the road.

They talked to each other for a few moments, before the horse made a gesture, indicating them to follow, and the three animals started to walk away.

"Where are they going?" Judy said. Nick looked down to her, and he saw that same determined look that was on her face many times before in the past. Nick blinked, as he knew what that look meant.

"Carrots. Carrots." Nick whispered to her. "Carrots, whatever it is you are thinking, you better stop thinking it."

"We have to follow them." Judy said, and Nick had already predicted that.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea." He said to her.

"They might have answers, Nick!" Judy said to him as she continued to look as they moved away. "If there is any hope to find answers for this entire story, or to make things better in the slightest, then they are the key."

"Maybe you are forcing it a little bit." Nick said, as she was not sure how these animals could help solve anything. Of course, they would be able to give them some concrete answers to what was going on. That much Nick knew, but still, after what he has seen that the tiger and yote could do, and coupled what he suspected the horse would be able to do as well, he was sure that following them was not very safe.

"They are getting away. We need to follow them now." Judy said, right before she moved and subtly started to follow the animals, causing Nick to remain shocked for a few moments, before he was sneaking behind her, trying to talk some sense into the bunny.

"Carrots! Wait!" Nick whispered to her, but the bunny continued, as if she didn't even heard him. "Judy! We cannot simply go after these mammals! I know that I'm not unreasonable like the others, but these mammals are not something to play with! If they are mages, then they might be able to shot fireballs at us! We cannot face them all alone!"

Judy stopped for a moment as she and Nick both were hiding behind a mailbox in the street. She looked at the animals form behind of her hiding spot. She seemed to be thinking, and turned at the fox.

"You are right…" She said, and for a moment, Nick thought that he had finally managed to put some sense in her head. However, his hopes washed away as the bunny said: "We will need back up.

Oh, Lord have mercy…

Judy soon contacted Clawhauser through their radio, the cheetah talked to them through the radio, but the bunny was calm and direct, as the situation was important (from her point of view). She soon was informing the cheetah that she and Nick were "following suspicious mammals". She was very through when saying that, even giving their approximated address. She was even able to say the description of the old, abandoned looking pathway that the three mammals were taking, as they passed through the chain-fence closing the path without a care in the world.

"They might be dangerous." Judy said to her radio, "Officer Wilde and I will continue to follow them and we will keep watch. Please, send backup. We will be waiting."

The cheetah gave an answer on the other side of the line, right after Judy turned her radio off and dashed across the street, and Nick, once more, had no other choice but to follow her across the street and into that pathway.

They both easily passed by the chain that was blocking the path, and they went on the trail, which was a path of beaten grass and dirt with some trees decorating the path. The animals were far ahead, and the two were very careful as not to make any noise that would alert the animals that there was someone tailing them.

The path lead to something that looked like a big, abandoned storehouse. It had broken windows and run-down walls. The place looked completely abandoned, for years by the way. They had line of sight of the three mammals, who were just walking around the abandoned building, and they looked like they were getting ready for something.

"What are they doing in a place like that?" Nick asked as he and Judy hid behind a tree, watching as the horse knocked on the door with a certain flourish. Soon, the door opened, as someone from inside allowed the three to go in, before it closed again.

"I don't know." Judy said, "But I plan to find out…"

Soon she and Nick were walking around the building, and they could hear some sound coming from the inside.

Sounded like voices.

Judy was able to sight of a few boxes and vines on a wall, and gesturing to Nick, he saw it too, and understood what she was saying.

Soon, the two small mammals were using the boxes and vines as ladders to reach out for a window, and they were able to look inside the storehouse.

"I'm glad you two made it…" A feminine voice said, "For a moment, I was worried we would have to do it without you two. Again."

The one who was speaking was a figure with a hood. In front of them were the horse, the tiger and the yote. The tiger and yote seemed to be the ones who the figure was talking with, and the yote actually seemed quite nervous.

"S-sorry boss." The coyote said, "We kind of lost track of time."

"_You_ lost track of time." The tiger said to him. "I had to go and drag your tail here."

"Good thing you did." The hooded female said once more. "Because otherwise, I would have to go and fry his tail."

The coyote whimpered.

"Well, Hudson and Zane are both here." A voice said as another mammal came into view, and Nick and Judy both could recognize the animal that just appeared. They had seen the same wolf with the horse on that day on the square, playing guitar. "This means we can get things, started, right?"

"Yeah. And it's almost time too." Another voice said, and the two officers looked over, to see the same dog who was with the wolf and horse that day. He was moving his fingers in front of himself, as if he was tapping into an invisible keyboard. "The alignment will officially start in a few minutes."

"Good, then we should get ready to begin the ritual." The hooded figure said once more, as she moved away.

Nick and Judy assumed it was a female because of the voice, but they still could not get a glimpse of her to identify her species. Still, as she moved, they could take a better look in the inside of the storehouse. There was something drawn on the ground, a big circle with strange symbols in it, in what seemed to be red paint. Also, they could notice that there were three cages on the place, and while they could not see what was inside of them, one of the cages shook, as whatever was inside let out a guttural growling sound.

Nick and Judy both felt a shiver run down their spikes, as they both wondered what they had just walked into…


	14. Magic is Real

_I don't believe in witches, but that they exist, they exist._

**_Miguel de Cervantes_**

* * *

Mammals walked around the storehouse, most of them gathering around the circle drawn on the ground of the old, abandoned place. Percy, the horse; Zane, the tiger; Butch, the wolf with blue and violet painted fur and claws; the hooded figure which species could not be identified, and also another animal that someone would have difficulty to notice at first, a possum.

This possum was female, and she stood on 2'8'' feet tall. The fur of her body was of gray coloration, with a much softer shade, close to white, on her face and down her neck and stomach. Her limbs also had white fur, with black on her hands and feet. Her eyes were of a deep yellow coloration, with the fur on her eyes being of a darker shade of gray. Her tail was long, thick and pinkish, devoid of fur, as it was normal for possums. Her ears were black in the outside and pinkish in the inside. She used some tattered clothing consisting into a purple top, a pair of jeans pants, and a long coat of the same purple coloration. She was standing with the other mammals around the circle.

The other two animals were on the outside of the circle. The dog was sitting on the craters on the corner, apparently tapping into a keyboard that only he was able to see. He seemed like he was completely distracted from the other animals in the places. While the coyote, Hudson Coyle, was on the corner, near the cages. He seemed that he was checking on whatever was inside of them, and they seemed to be feisty, by the way that the cages were shaking.

"So, how do we do this?" Butch asked, looking at the others. "Do we do just like the other nights, or do we change something tonight?"

"Just like other nights, only with the sacrifices." The hooded figure said, "You, Percy and Zane slice their throats while the five of us chant the lines of the ritual. These rituals are very specific." She spoke, looking around. "So, everyone remembers the lines? Boys? Harlie?" She spoke, as the three males and then the female possum, Harlie, nodded back at her. The hooded female then turned to the coyote and the cages.

"Hudson, you doing it fine with them?"

"They are pretty feisty." The coyote said, as he walked from one of the three cages to the next. "But they have no chance. They will be nice and obedient when they are to be sacrificed."

"Why there need to be sacrifices, by the way?" The dog on the craters asked.

"Because this is how Formalcraft works." The tiger said, sounding annoyed, looking at the dog. "In order to be able to take something you need to offer something back, in this case, we offer their lives. Otherwise, we would need to keep chatting all night every night to achieve the same results. Besides, their blood will help the ritual along. You would know that if you were not a Technocrat." The tiger spoke the last line with a certain disdain. The dog glared back at him.

"First of all, I am an _ex_-Technocrat. Second, I have helped you guys a lot by locating a source of energy with my methods and also calculated the best possible time that would allow the most of energy to be gathered by your little ritual." The dog said, and he spoke that almost as if he was challenging the tiger to retort, which the big feline seemed to be about to do when the hooded female cut him off.

"Zane, leave Evan alone. He has done his part." She spoke firmly, and the tiger obeyed, remaining silent. "If you are truly frustrated, you can vent killing the sacrifices."

The tiger seemed to be satisfied with this. He, like everyone else, seemed to be oblivious to the fact that there were some mammals spying on them, and that they seemed horrified by what they were hearing.

"Oh my God! Nick!" Judy whispered to the fox, looking from the mammals gathered into the circle to the cages. "They are going to murder someone!"

"I'm glad that we got our hooves in a ritual like that." Percy said, looking around. "I'm still impressed on how Albie was able to get that from _them_. The guy surely had talent."

"Yeah, he was good in dealing with others." Harlie, the possum, spoke to the others in there. "It was really smart of him to approach that boy too. It made it very easier to infiltrate in there and steal from their records. Not only he got what he wanted but he also got us some nice spells and rituals."

"Yeah, and they surely got mad at him for that." Zane said, "Maybe he is lucky that he died. Who knows what they would have done to him if they had got him first?"

"He was fun." Evan said, as he continued to tap on his imaginary keyboard. "I'll miss him."

"We all might meet up with him if we are not careful enough." Zane said to them. "After all, once they learn that he was associated to us, they will want to take it out on us, since he is not around anymore."

"That is why we must be quick and careful." The hooded female said at all of them. "This is the last night that we are doing this, and if we do it right we won't need to take any more risks." She spoke as she walked to the center of the circle, reaching out for something inside of her clothes.

Nick and Judy looked at it, as the female of unidentified species pulled out… a crystal.

It was shaped like a perfect miniature pyramid made of some unknown crystal. It was of a pinkish coloration, the figure placed it into the precise center of the circle before walking back to where she was previously standing, and she turned to the dog.

"Evan, how long now?"

"Two minutes and twenty five seconds." The dog said.

"Are you sure?" Percy asked him.

"99.92%." The dog confirmed.

"Still hard to believe that this building is right above a Ley Line." Harlie commented. "I thought that places like that tended to attract success and good fortune."

"That is not an absolute rule." Zane said to the possum. "Zootopia has a few Ley Lines passing by it, and not every place that is above one attracts success."

"Let's focus." The hooded animal said, clapping her paws. "Hudson, I hope the sacrifices are ready! Bring them on now!"

"Yes, boss!" The coyote said, and started to unlock the small cages, opening them one by one. "Okay, guys, get out now, it is time to be part of a ritual." He said, gesturing to whoever was inside to come out.

Nick and Judy looked anxious, fully expecting mammals to crawl out of the cages looking scared or even drugged. Instead, they saw something very different crawling out of the cages and remaining on all fours.

The creatures had bodies covered in scales instead of fur, and they were massive. Their long maws, filled with sharp teeth, were so big that they would probably be able to chomp Judy down in a single bite. Their four stubby legs dragged their big bodies out of the cages, as they long and massive tails followed right behind.

The three crocodiles looked quite intimidating.

Once more, it is worth to remember that, for some reason, only mammals evolved to have sentience, while other classes of animals remained feral. Reptiles were included in that, from the smaller geckos that somehow invaded houses and became a plague, to the bigger carnivore reptiles, like the crocodiles that had just crawled out of the cages.

"Crocodiles?" Nick whispered, somewhat surprised, and somewhat scared. "They are going to sacrifice crocodiles?" Now, Nick would be lying if he said that he wasn't somewhat relieved for knowing that guys are going to kill reptiles instead of mammals. It still constituted cruelty to beasts, but at least they were not going to be murdering mammals.

Now, it left the question of where the crocodiles have come from. The pets that were allow into Zootopia were limited to small species that represented no danger to other mammals, like iguanas, canaries, chameleons, and even some kinds of insect. The bigger ones were kept for leather and meat, and they were, when much, kept into special sanctuaries where they were fed and protected. Crocodiles in particular were beasts taken with particular care, for they were carnivore and ate mammals, and they couldn't be trained or domesticated.

However, the way that the crocodiles were behaving seemed to go against this common knowledge. The creatures dragged themselves as they followed the yote's gestures. It was almost as if they were trained pets following their trainer's commands. They moved around the circle, until they were standing on three distinct points, each one by the side of one of the mammals who was in charged of sacrificing them.

"Nick, we have to do something." Judy said, but the fox was the one who held her back.

"Carrots, let's wait for the backup." He insisted, and the mammals inside were still oblivious to the animals spying on them. As the horse, wolf and tiger all pulled out daggers from their waists.

"Be ready, everyone." The hooded female said. Meanwhile, Evan continued on the corner:

"Ten seconds now… nine… eight…"

"We gotta do something, Nick!"

"Stay low, stay low and wait for back up!" The fox whispered urgently at her.

"…Three… Two… One… Now!"

On cue, the three animals with the daggers moved on the crocodiles, who had remained perfectly still all the time, and passed the daggers through their necks, slicing through their scaly skin.

The beasts remained perfectly still as the wounds were opened and blood gushed out. Judy let out a soft gasp as she looked away, covering her eyes. The sight of blood was not something she liked. Nick was also a bit shocked, but he could deal with it better.

As the three crocodiles were sacrificed, the five animals around the circle started to chat something. The two had to admit, it did sounded a lot like something that you would expect to hear into some old ritual, like in the movies or series. It was rather ominous.

For a while, the two watched as the mammals gathered into that circle remained in there, chatting that strange thing that almost sounded like an old and creepy music into a foreign language. The three crocodiles laid dead in there, their blood flowing from underneath them and pooling in the corners of the circle, which had a triangle inside. Each crocodile was kill on a corner of the triangle, and now the blood of the beasts pooled in there.

"So… that is it?" Nick said, as he continued to look at the mammals chatting on the circle, with the dead crocodiles around it. "Well, that is kind of a letdown… I kind of expected-"

Nick did not said what he expected, for in that moment, the lines of the circle started to glow. It was if the circle was a big circuit, and the lines lighted up, glowing. The glow was of a bluish-white coloration, and it illuminated the storehouse. They glowed so much that the light could be see even through the blood that had pooled on the corners of the circle, and it was even outshining the lights that were previously illuminating the storehouse, coming from the lamps of the place.

The light was intense, and it could be clearly see through the old windows and the many openings that had in the worm-out walls and ceiling. Nick and Judy even had to slightly protect their eyes due to the luminosity, which didn't not came only from the lines of the circle, but from the very center of the circle itself, as if that area suddenly was becoming illuminated.

"Okay, scratch that." Nick said, shielding his eyes, as he had to let them adjust to the sudden illumination that was coming from the inside. As they did, both he and Judy looked into the storehouse, looking at the mammals, who still chanted whatever it was. The five mammals gathered around the circle had their paws raised – the horse, tiger and wolf still holding into their daggers – apparently focusing into the ritual. The dog was still sitting on the craters, looking at the other mammals performed the ritual, while Hudson Coyle was standing on a corner, looking quite edgy as he saw it, as if it was something very important.

Now, if Nick and Judy had any doubt that these animals could be mages, all of these doubts seemed to evaporate as they saw what was happening in front of them.

"Nick, are you seeing this too?" Judy asked in a whisper.

""Is it just me, or is the blood of the crocodiles starting to glow as well?" The fox whispered back, as they both looked into the ritual that was developing in front of them.

As they looked, Judy's very sensitive ears were able to pick up a sound. Something that was above the chanting of the animals on the inside, and the suspicious sound that was coming inside, as if made by wind. She turned her head to look, and she saw someone coming. Her eyes widened, and she tapped Nick's shoulder, calling his attention to whatever it was.

Approaching them, with a dart gun in his hooves, was no other than Chief Bogo. The Cape buffalo was walking with care, as it was common in a situation like this. He was a bit surprised to see a place that had some kind of light coming from inside and a strange sound of voices. Almost as much surprised as he was for seeing Wilde and Hopps holding on to vines into the wall, apparently to look into the window.

"Hopps! Wilde!" The buffalo whispered to them as he approached. "What are you two doing?"

"What are you doing here, Chief?" Nick asked. Of course, they had asked for reinforcement, but they had not expected the chief to come there himself.

Bogo explained to them that the meeting that he had with the animals of the City Hall had taken far longer than he expected, and he only finished around fifteen minutes ago. He was taking a route that would lead him back to the station when he heard from the radio that the two officers had a situation in which they were requesting support. The other officers were either still busy with their assignments or very distant to be able to come, and Clawhauser had made it clear that it seemed to be quite urgent what was happening. So, since Bogo was passing very close to them by his route, he decided to go in there to offer his support.

"What is this?" He asked as soon as he finished his brief explanation. "What is going on here?"

The two animals shared a look. For a moment, it was as if they were debating if they should or should not tell the buffalo. Bogo had a raised eyebrow at them, when it seemed that they had agreed to tell him, in very brief words, what was going on. They told him about how they recognized the mammals on the street, how they followed them, and how they started doing their ritual.

On the "ritual" part, the chief's stance shifted. He looked annoyed, and angry.

"Are you two telling me that you two sent an urgent call to the police line because of some mammals doing some kind of ritual?" The chief of Precinct 1 said to the two in a low voice. The two were already seeing the kind of talking down that would come. However, they didn't had time to that.

"They are doing the ritual right now." Nick said to him. "It is some crazy stuff. And it's getting crazier…" Nick said as he continued to look inside.

The buffalo snorted.

"From all of the stupid things that could be reason for a call…"

"It is not stupid." Judy whispered to him. "If you look inside…"

"I just had a very long meeting and I wanted nothing more than to go back to the station for some rest and maybe a meal, and I'm made to come here because of a ritual…" The chief said, and his voice was now gaining volume. This worried Judy.

"Chief, if you listen…"

"I did not expected you, of all mammals, to hear to these stupid things, Hopps." He said, looking at the bunny. "I really thought that you were mature and reasonable, and now you come here, calling me for-"

The buffalo's voice was becoming louder, and Judy was scared that this would call attention from the inside, if the buffalo's voice would become louder than the chanting.

"_Will you shut up!?_" Judy said in a low voice, but with an incisiveness that made the buffalo stop and look at her. At first, he looked shocked, but then, it morphed to fury.

"Look inside!" Judy said incisively, pointing at the window. Bogo rose a hooved finger, and he seemed about to say something to the bunny. However, as they locked eyes, the buffalo simply snorted, and approached the window that the two animals were looking at.

The bunny and fox needed to climb the boxes and the vines so they could look at the window, for it was tall for them. However, the buffalo, who was much bigger, could easily reach for the window, as it was right on his eye level. It allowed him to simply stand in there and look through the dirty and broken window to what was going on inside.

What he saw as a scenery worth of a fantasy series. With mammals standing around a circle chanting something in a strange language, dead crocodiles around the circle – which was glowing in blue – and the air around the place seeming to move and become heavier.

"What the horns?" Bogo said as he saw what was going on inside, just in the moment when the blood of the dead crocodiles started to glow.

It had been growing in glow for a few moments now, and now it was definitely glowing in a scarlet coloration, and not only that, but it started moving. The chanting of the mammals around the circle got more intense, as the blood of the crocodiles moved across the lines of the triangle inside of the circle, delimiting correctly the geometrical figure, still glowing crimson, quite intensely, it was to be added.

"Does it looks like nonsense to you?" Judy whispered to the buffalo, who continued to look at the surreal spectacle that was developing in front of his very eyes.

"I-I-I…" Bogo said, as if he was trying to find his voice once more, as he saw the glowing blood dancing on its own. "I-I admit that it is really strange… B-but there must be some explanation for this." He said as he looked at what was going on, and it seemed that the ritual was coming into a crucial part.

The five mammals around the circle rose their paws/hooves up, and they were now chanting louder and with more enthusiasm, and as if on cue, the blood started to move again. The blood that had accumulated into the lines of the triangle, now started to converge to the center of the circle, looking like water being drained from a pool, as it spiraled in direction to the central point of that circle, in which sat the pinkish crystal pyramid.

Said pyramid was also glowing, first with a pink hue, but as the blood converged into it, the glow of the pyramid was changing, as it became darker, sharper, and more intense. The whole process too around five minutes, as all of the blood had converge into the pyramid, disappearing from sight, while the pyramid now glowed like a small crimson star in the center of the circle.

Then, the chanting started to diminish, as the mammals slowly lowered their paws. After two more minutes, they had finished, and the light gradually diminished, until the circle had gone off, and the light that illuminated the storehouse was once more the one coming from the lamps.

No one moved or said anything for yet another minute. The mammals that were around the circle stayed where they were, and the mammals who were watching from the window seemed like they were holding their breath. The dead crocodiles were still right where they fell, with their throats slit, but not a single drop of their blood was anywhere in sight.

Then, the hooded figure walked to the center of the circle, crouching and reaching out to reach for the crystal pyramid, which now was of a deep scarlet coloration. Picking it up and raising it, as it to look at it better into the light, the figure pulled the hood of her cloak, finally allowing others to see her face.

She had a canine-like muzzle, with dull gray fur all over her head. Her ears were big and round, with white fur on their inside, and they had some earrings on them. She had a mane that was of a white coloration. The hyena looked intently at the crystal pyramid with her moss-green eyes, and a smirk formed in her muzzle.

"Congratulations, Vipers." She said aloud, looking around, showing the now red crystal to the others as if it was some kind of trophy. "We have made it."

The mammals inside of the storehouse celebrated. Butch howled loudly, followed by Coyle, who was going along. Harlie said a "score!" as she pumped her fist. Percy clapped his hooved hands at this, while Zane was next to him with is arms crossed, but a satisfied expression. And Evan, outside of the thing, gave the guys a thumbs up.

"That is great!" Coyle said, putting an arm around Butch, who put an arm around him in return. "This calls for a celebration! I know a place who has the best bugloaf in the city!"

"So, this means we are finished, right boss?" Percy said, approaching the hyena, who was considerably shorter than him, and the female smiled back at him.

"Oh, we sure did." She said, still holding up the crimson pyramid, looking at it as if it was a priceless treasure. "With this, we will surely be able to do a lot of things. Now Sinclaw and his Orphans will regret having looked down on us."

"They better do." Zane said, approaching them as well.

"Yeah, we all don't like Sinclaw and his little group." Percy said, "But we have to remember that until very recently we were all…" The horse was saying, but stopped, his ears twitching. The horse immediately looked up. He was not the only one, as Judy, on the outside, also had looked up, nearly at the same time, as her big ears got a sound.

"Did you hear this?" She whispered to the other two. The animals barely had time to answer, as another sound came from up. It was coming from the roof of the storehouse, and it made all animals, inside and outside, to look up.

Of course, that was the only thing they had time to do before the roof broke and something fell from there.

The animals in the storehouse immediately jumped and seemed ready to action. Coyle yipped and nearly tripped on his own tail as he backed away. The animals in the outside were surprised as well, as Bogo nearly shouted out a curse and Nick let out one in a whisper.

Falling out of the roof came three mammals, and they now were hanging into vines, hoovering a few feet above the ground.

For a while, no one said a thing, save for the animals who were hanging. Most of it was hard to understand, for they were talking to each other, and mostly shocked for what had happened. However, it was possible to make up a few things.

"Frizzle Frazzle!"

"Oh, gawd! I almost dropped my dad's camera!"

"Shawn! I told you to be careful, you Muttonhead!"

"It was not my fault!"

The cacophony of the three mammals lasted for a few more moments, before they seemingly remembered that they were not alone in there. The mammals of the storehouse now looked at the three newcomers, starting with the one who was on the left (facing them). This one was a hyena, and he had fur of reddish brown coloration on his body, with a softer shade on his muzzle and face. It was hard to see his eyes, because he had a mane of cream coloration that was big and flopped over his face. He had black spots on his body, as it was common for a spotted hyena, and he had paws and feet of black coloration. His muzzle was also of a black coloration, and he had a golden nose-ring piercing on his snout. He was wearing common clothes, with crisscrossed shirt and jeans short. He was almost laying in the air, as the vines made him be suspended in the air in a "Mission Inpawsible" style. He was holding a camera on his paw, and it looked like it was still recording.

To his left, there was a pig. He had pink skin, but his head and face had splashes of brown in it, a feature that some pigs did had sometimes. He had big and floppy ears, and he had a tuff of yellow fur on the top of his head. He was wearing white shirt with a logo in it, jeans pants, and a stylish red jacket. His eyes were of a dark-brown coloration, and they looked at the other animals a bit widen. The pig was hanging from the vines in a way that it almost made it look like he was sitting in some invisible chair. He did looked more comfortable than the one that was on his left.

The sheep was pretty much what most would expect from a sheep: white with wool that was just as white. He was rather slim, letting it clear that he was not the athletic type. He wore a pair of glasses on his amber eyes. He was wearing a pair of loose khaki pants and a blue pullover that had a cartoonish sheep in it with the sayings: "**VERY SOFT BOY**". Of course, as far as it was possible to say, once the sheep was currently upside down, hanging from the vines that had tied around his waist and legs. Somehow, his glasses still managed to remain on his face, although they were hanging precariously.

The most striking thing about all of the three mammals, however, was the fact that they all were (or at least looked like) teenagers. From the hyena with the hair that flopped over his eyes to the skinny and geek-looking sheep. Not to mention the pig, who seemed to be the shorter of them, being quite small, even for a teenage pig.

They just hanged in there, looking at the mammals into the storehouse, who were now looking at them. They also haven't noticed the mammals who were outside of the storehouse, looking through the window.

"What the heck?" Bogo said in a whisper as he watched in shock, along with the two officers. Nick, however, had a cocked eyebrow as he took a good look at these three teenagers.

_Wait, I have seen them before… No. Could it be..?_

"What's going on here?" Said Coyle, as he and his pals now were surrounding the three animals who had literally fell through their ceiling. These three looked like they had been caught in the act, and they kind of looked like the traditional teenagers who are trying to come up with an excuse.

"Hmmm, hi?" The sheep said, waving to them. The mammals looked mostly unimpressed.

"Sully?" The hyena said, and the pig seemed to know that it was with him. However, he did looked like he was lost, and trying to come up with something.

"Uuuuuh…" He said, before beaming in a smile. "Wow! That was crazy, wasn't it?" He said, seemingly to his two buddies. "Dudes! That bungee jumping with vines thing really is awesome! We should try it more times!" He said, and his two friends look at him. "Oh, it seems that we have crashed on someone's party, sorry about that." He spoke, now addressing the mammals how had been in the storehouse. "So, we don't want to interrupt, so, if you guys can get us loose we can be on our way. Oh, sorry for the ceiling, by the way."

The pig finished with his best smile, however, this smile soon disappeared when he saw the expressions of the mammals around them, seeing that they were clearly not buying it.

The female hyena, still with her cloak, produced a dagger from inside of it, and pointed it at the three animals, making them all react. The hyena boy yipped, the pig snorted, and the sheep bleated.

"Who are you?" She asked him in a very calm voice. "And don't you even think of lying"

There was a brief silence, as the pig looked at his two companions, who looked back at him. He sighed, and said:

"O-okay. I am Sullivan, but my friends call me Sully. These are Patrick and Shawn." He said as he pointed to the hyena and sheep respectively, both giving very brief greetings. "We are all friends, and we make videos for the internet."

As he spoke, the mammals around them turned their eyes back at the hyena boy, who was still holding his camera.

The hyena boy, noticing all eyes on him, was trying to conceal the camera, but with no success, due to the position he was in.

"What kind of videos?" The female hyena asked, still pointing the dagger to the pig. "Sully" gulped as he saw that sharp object pointed at him.

"Z-Zootube videos… You know, the kind that gather followers." He said, but the cloaked female seemed not to be satisfied.

"What kind of videos?" She asked once more, slower this time, and she seemed like she was getting angrier. This granted the pig to look even more nervous, as he was starting to sweat.

"Ah!" Evan said, snapping his fingers, granting all eyes in the room to turn to him. "Now I remember where I know you from!" He said, and completed: "You guys are the Mage Chasers!"

"Mage… Chasers?" Zane said, looking at the dog and back at the three hanging teenagers with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, there are some videos of them on Zootube!" The dog said. "The guys go around the city of Zootopia seeing if they can find mages and catch them on video." He explained to the others, who were now looking at the three invaders. "I keep following them."

"Oh, right!" The pig said, suddenly looking like he was quite prideful of himself. "Sure you do, because our tenacity and determination into finding the truth is inspiring and worth of admiration, right?"

"Nope." The dog said. "Because it is hilarious the kind of troubles you all get when you are trying to find clues about mages! Seriously, I crack myself up from laughing."

The pig visibly deflated from this.

"So, they basically go around with a camera hoping to expose us even further?" Coyle said, and the sheep was who answered:

"We just want to understand you mages better."

"We don't want you to understand us!" The tiger shot back, making the sheep bleat a little. "And, you give me this!" He said as he snatched the camera from the hyena's paws.

"Hey!" Patrick said, "Be careful with that! My dad will kill me if something happens to that camera!"

The tiger was now handling the camera, but it seemed that he didn't quite knew how to handle it, because he kept turning it around, trying to open it, and pressing button after button. This was making the hyena boy anxious, as he kept insisting for the tiger to "be careful".

"Oh, lord have mercy, give me that." Evan said, taking the camera from Zane's paws. He knew how to handle the camera, as he handled it with the needed care, and knew how to operate it, as he soon was seeing what they had recorded in it.

"Look at that! They recorded the entire ritual!" He said, seemingly amused. "And they got some nice shots. You were recording from the ceiling?"

"Yeah, there is – I mean, there _was_ a hole in the ceiling from above, and we were able to get some images by filming through the hole." Patrick said.

"Yeah, before Shawn misstepped and sent us all crashing down." Sully said, looking at the sheep on his left.

"Hey! It was not my fault! The ceiling was old and breaking!"

"I liked how you gave a zoom from the moment the blood converged into the crystal." The dog said, looking at Patrick. "Very high resolution. This is a nice camera."

"Thanks." The hyena said back at him. "It is top line, with sixteen megapixels and digital zoom. It even has an automatic focus and brightness adjust…"

"Nevermind the stupid camera!" Zane said, getting some attention. He looked now very intently at the three intruders. "How did you three found this place?"

The three were really scared of the big mammal who seemed to be quite mad at them.

"I-it was Patrick." Sully said, making the hyena immediately turn to look at him. "H-he said he had found some mages and that we needed to record them for our Zootube channel."

"Wha- You liar!" The hyena said immediately. "It was _you_ who said that! I just told you what I had saw!"

"And what did you saw, Patrick?" The female hyena turned to him, now pointing her dagger at him, and it was close enough that it was almost touching his nose. The younger hyena gulped as he looked at the intimidating female, and he stuttered as he explained.

"W-well, you see, I was doing parkour around Rainforest District. It is a hobby of mine, and the Rainforest is really great for it because of all of the trees, branches and vines and all of that stuff…"

"Get to the point." She said, her tone was neutral, but she was pressing the dagger a bit closer to his face. The boy yipped and he went on.

"I-I was doing parkour and I ended up on top of this same storehouse. It was yesterday, I thought it was abandoned when I heard voices and noticed that there was something going on inside!" He was almost trampling his words as he explained. Fear was a very good stimulant to some mammals. "There were some holes on the ceiling, and I peeked through one of them, and I saw you guys doing something in here yesterday. Some kind of ritual, with the same circle."

The mammals around them shared looks, and the hyena continued to look at him.

"Go on." She said calmly, and the hyena boy got a bit calmer, but continued to explain to her.

"I saw you guys doing pretty much the same thing that you just did, only without the crocodiles, where did you get them, anyway?" He asked, but he shut up when the dagger came a bit closer, the cold tip of it touching his snout. He decided to continue his explanations, as not to have the dagger even closer to his body.

"Well, I saw the ritual to the end, and when you were leaving, I heard you talking to the others, telling them to remember that the ritual would be finished in the next evening. This meant today." He continued. "As soon as I got back home, I called Sully and Shawn and told them what I saw in here. They didn't believed at first, but when I explained everything to them, Sully said that this was exactly what we have been looking for, and that if you guys were coming back to do that again, we had to come back and capture it on camera for our channel."

There was a brief silence, and the hyena female once more turned her eyes and dagger to the pig, who now looked caught.

"So, you are the mastermind behind this, aren't you?" She asked him in a very sweet tone, but that caused the pig to feel even more scared of her.

"I-I was just… Y-you see… uhhh…" The pig said, trying to find words that would put him out of that situation. At some point, however, he had just decided to take a deep breath and try to say something the best he could:

"You see… the world has been too chaotic ever since you guys came around." The pig said, and the hyena raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean… everybody is on the edge because of all that is going on." The pig said, choosing better his words, as not the get the mammal with a knife angry. "They don't know what is going on, and they are taking conclusions on what was happening, both good and bad." He spoke solemnly, and it was as if he had memorized some speech.

"What we – the Mage Chasers – aim to, is finding mages and try to get answers. We try to understand better these individuals who hold magic as part of their lives, and try to pass this understanding to other individuals, to ease their minds and to help them determine on their own if the individuals are dangerous or not. We determine if they are individuals who have their own society and their own rules, or if they are cruel and heartless beings who kill innocents in rituals." The pig said, and he looked at the dead crocodiles that were in the room. "Well, we already confirmed that you guys kill reptiles."

The hyena looked at him with complete indifference, and Sully continued to look at her. He swallowed another lump on his throat, wondering if he was able to convince her. After a few moments, he almost sighed in relief when she lowered the dagger. She was now smiling at the pig, as well as to his two friends.

"So… you just want to learn more about us, don't you?"

"Y-yeah, kind of." The pig said to her, glad that she at least didn't seemed ready to kill him anymore, and his two friends backed him up.

"Y-yeah, I actually kind of like mages." Shawn said. "When we play Beasts & Battlefields, I am always a wizard. I know the spell lists like the back of my hoof." He said rather proudly, like a good geek.

"Well, I'm not sure about all that stuff…" Patrick admitted. "I just accepted because I was curious and because I thought it would be fun. I didn't wanted anyone to get mad." He admitted, making it clear that he didn't wanted to cause problems. "So, if you guys don't want to be on internet we can just erase the video."

"No way!" Sully immediately said. "We worked hard for that video!"

"Dude! Don't get the mages angry! They don't want to be on video! Let's respect their wishes!"

"This video is what we need!" The pig said to the hyena boy. "It is the first thing we have since we started two months ago! If we post it we will surely become legends!" He said to his friend, who seemed like he still wasn't convinced. He then turned to the mages that were still surrounding them.

"Guys, I know that you don't really like being exposed, but I think another video would make no difference at this point. So, if you return the camera and get us down form here, we can go on our way. Maybe even better, now that you guys know we are here you could give you an interview on two! Come on, don't you want to be famous?"

The tiger growled at him, making the pig squeak.

"W-well, maybe you could at least explain what you were doing here." He said, "I mean, just so we don't leave here thinking that you guys kill animals in rituals to have more luck on days or win on the lottery."

The tiger was about to growl once more, but the female hyena silenced him with a gesture. She looked at the pig, and she spoke, in a sweet tone:

"So, you want to know what happened here?" She asked, and the pig shared looks with his two friends, before the three of them nodded.

"Very well." She said, as she looked at the three, and then, she started to explain.

"In order to perform spells, mages like us need to use **magical energy**. It is something that we must use if we want to perform our spells, kind of like… the fuel that makes a motor work."

The animals all looked with interest. The three seemed that they had became really interested, while the animals around had a different expression…

"So, a mage can only perform spells if they have magical energy to use. Of course, sometimes, the mage don't have enough energy on their own, so they need to resort to another options." She explained to them. "There are rituals, like the one you just saw, that allow taking energy from the environment, converting it into magical energy for us to use. They are call **Formalcraft**. Mages will often use this type of ritual to gather magical energy that they cannot produce on their own. This is what we just did."

"By killing some beasts, like chicken and crocodiles, we are able to make the World gives us some of its energy, by offering these creatures' blood and lives as a 'payment'." She spoke to the younger mammals as if she was giving them a lecture. "It is also possible to do it without the sacrifices, but it would require long hours of chanting and meditation, and I think it is safe to say that few of the mammals of our little group have the patient for that."

She looked around, and some looked away, seeming rather embarrassed. She continued:

"However, if we are gathering too much power, it might be too much for our bodies to handle. So, it is only good when we are performing on specific spell at a moment. Otherwise, we need to store it somewhere." She said, and pulled out of her cloak the little pyramid of now-red crystal. "Like we did with this."

The three looked with interest at the small crystal.

"This is a crystal that has been specially prepared to hold magical energy. Gemstones and crystals have great capacity to hold them, you know? So, by using this crystal, and this special ritual that we have been performing for several nights in the past weeks, right above a Ley Line, we managed to force a great amount of magical energy to gather inside this crystal. Now, it is a battery of magical energy that we can use at any time to power up spells, allowing us to do things that normally would be beyond our reach."

She looked at the crystal with a lot of interest herself. She had a smile in her muzzle.

"With how much energy we forced into this, it could probably do a lot of things."

A silence followed these words, as the three mammals took in all they they had just heard.

"That is… rather cool." Patrick said.

"Yeah, it surely explains what you were doing… Wait, you don't do these rituals using mammals, do you?" Shawn asked.

"Nah. Not in the last three hundred years." She said to them. "It is against our laws."

"Oh, so you _do_ have laws!" Sully said, excited. "This is really cool! You could talk about them on the camera, after you have repeated what you just said."

"I'm sorry, 'for the camera'?" She asked, her tone still sweet.

"Yeah, of course!" The pig said, "You are going to let us go and post the video, no? That is why you told us this, right? So we could explain to people so they don't think the wrong thing?"

She looked at him, and smiled in a way that sent shivers down his spine.

"Oh, sweetheart!" She said with the same sweet tone. "The only reason why I am telling you this, is because you won't be able to tell anyone."

The words she spoke sent shivers to the three hanging mammals.

"W-wha…?"

"So, I guess this sums it up." Coyle said, already rubbing his paws. "Three memory-wiped mammals coming right up!"

He seemed about to do something, when the hyena stopped him with a gesture of her hand. "Before we do anything." She said, making it clear that she still hasn't gave her final saying. "We need to ask a few more questions to our unexpected guests."

She looked intently at the three animals.

"W-what questions?" Sully asked, now feeling genuinely scared.

"Like, if you told about this to anyone. If anyone knows where you three went tonight or what you were going to do. Or if your friend would, by any chance, caught us on video when he stumbled on us yesterday."

"I-I didn't!" Patrick was quick to say. "I was practicing parkour and I was without any camera! I didn't even had my cellphone on me! My mom gave me an ear chewing for being without it!"

"I haven't told anyone!" Shawn spoke, "My parents think I went to the library to study!"

"Oh, really?" The hyena said, and the tiger was quick to speak:

"They are lying!"

"No, we are not!" Shawn said to them, now looking quite frantic. "We are saying the truth, honest!"

"We won't tell anyone what we saw! We will erase the video and pretend this never happened!" Patrick said once more, now fighting the bonds. The female hyena gave her back to them as she walked.

"We can't just let you all go, you know…" She spoke, now in a dark tone.

"W-wait!" Sully said, now very scared himself. "W-we can talk it over! M-maybe we could change the video so no one will see your faces! No one will know you guys are mages!"

"The ritual we performed tonight…" She said, "We did it for a reason, and in order to be able to do it, we actually had to break a few of our laws." She turned back to the three mammals. All the sweetness was gone from her features, as she looked back at them. "It is not only the trouble of being exposed, but also the problems of others finding out what we did, and if that happens… well, let's just say it won't be good to us in the slightest."

She looked very intently at the three, "That is why we can't take any chances… Butch."

"Yeah, boss?" The wolf said, and she spoke to him.

"Tonight we will have a little fun. Start with the sheep. Give him a good shearing."

"S-Shearing!?" Shawn bleated.

The wolf smirked. "How close?"

"As close as you want."

The wolf smirked as he once more pulled out his dagger, and started to approach the sheep the way a predator approaches the prey.

"N-no! Wait! Please!" The sheep pleaded, but it looked like it was all falling into deaf ears.

"Don't worry, I'll shear you nice and close." The wolf said, "But, I never sheared a sheep before, especially with a dagger. I might cut you a little bit, but I think you can handle a little blood loss."

"N-no!" The sheep bleated once more, now flailing about, like a fish in a hook. "Don't do this! You can't! Help!"

"Look, if you squirm it will get harder to make a clear shear." The wolf said with a smirk. "So, if you stay still I'll just- GAH!" The wolf suddenly cried out as he felt a sting in the back of his neck, causing him to take his free paw there, where he quickly grabbed something.

The other animals in there saw as the wolf stopped and reached out for the back of his neck, pulling out a dart.

The wolf looked at it himself, blinking.

"Is this… ohhhhhhhh."

Was all that Butch had the time to say, before he slumped to the ground, knocked out cold.

"We are being attacked!" Coyle suddenly said, reaching out for inside his clothes and pulling out a long strand of red rope. He looked around the storehouse, trying to figure out from where the attack had come from. The other animals were not as edgy as he was, but they too were on alert, especially since they now could pick up rushed sounds coming from the outside.

The three cops had remained in the window all the time, and Judy had finally had enough when she saw they planned to hurt the teenagers. She pulled her dart gun and darted the wolf through the window. Immediately after, the three animals, in a silent agreement, moved out of the window and in direction to the door of the storehouse.

Enough of just watching, it was time to do something.

Bogo used his sheer size and strength to slam into the door, nearly ripping it out of the ridges as he opened space.

"ZPD! Don't move!" The buffalo said, pointing his gun at the mammals in there, making them all turn to look at him, and at the two mammals that came right up.

"Drop your weapons!" Judy cried out as she also came in with her dart gun ready, Nick coming right after.

"ZPD?" The hyena asked.

"Wha-?" Coyle said.

"What are you…" Zane started asking, but in the moment he saw Nick… "RUSSET!"

"Hey there." Nick said, point his dart gun at the tiger. "We gotta stop meeting like that."

"Help! Help!" Shawn cried out form where he was hanging, wanting the ZPD to hurry up and come to rescue him and his friends already. Meanwhile, the other animals around looked at the three newcomers.

"Well, if it isn't the small officers!" Percy said as he saw the two small mammals in police uniform. "How fancy it is to meet both of you in here." He said, greeting them warmly. "Also, a little bit inconvenient…"

"Zane, Percy." The hyena said. "Do you know these mammals?"

"They are police officers." Percy said, "Evan, Butch and I had a run in at them a few months ago. I remember, because it was when I scared that old lady." He said, showing that he had a good memory, and that he found the memory a slightly fun one. "And, you, Zane, where do you know them from?"

"I know the fox." The tiger said in a growl. "It is some spellcaster that goes around pretending to be from the Wilde clan."

"Uh! That's serious." Percy said, looking at the fox "You got some balls to do that."

"Okay, we can go in a debate if I am 'Wilde' or not. But right now you guys better drop any weapons you get, lay down on the floor, and put your paws in your heads. Unless you want to be darted."

"Should we be worried, Zane?" The hyena asked, and the tiger growled once more.

"Not massively, but keep your eyes open for… that!" He said, suddenly pointing to above, and this caused all animals to look up.

A blue butterfly was fluttering just above them.

_Oh, boy._ Was the thought on Nick's mind.

"What's that?" Asked the possum, and as if on cue, the butterfly started to glow as if flapped this wings. Soon, where there was one butterfly, now there were two. And then four. And then eight.

"Wha..?" Bogo said as he saw the glowing butterfly multiplying in front of his very eyes.

"Oh, boy…" Percy said, and the butterfly continued to multiply. Suddenly, the butterflies glowed, shot across the air faster than any butterfly was supposed to move.

The six remaining mages immediately had to jump out of the way of the butterflies, which looked more like streams of light as they moved at great speed across the air. Percy was able to jump out of the way, and Zane was just barely able to avoid it, as the butterflies cut through his shirt and produced gashes on his skin, making him roar as he went to the ground.

The other mammals in the room were completely immobilize, looking at the surreal scene that was developing in front of them.

"Help!" The call for help from one of the teenagers broke the three officers out of their stupor, causing them to immediately rush to the help of the three. It was easy, once the butterflies seemed not to be targeting them, instead, focusing their attention at the mages.

"Hey!" Zane said, but he didn't had time to do anything about the other ones, for immediately, a butterfly dashed near his face, opening a wound on his cheek and forcing him to dodge out of the way to avoid more attacks.

"Help us!" Patrick said as he squirmed in his vines, just like the others. Judy was the first to get to them.

"Don't worry, we will get you all out of here." She said to them, as she and Nick both started working into freeing the animals from the vines. Meanwhile, Bogo spent a moment to look once more into the mess that was going on around him.

The animals who had just performed a very strange ritual were now being attack by a flock of murderous butterflies that moved just like streaks of light.

It was strange.

It was surreal.

It was illogical.

It was impossible.

However, it was happening.

Bogo decided that he could have a crisis over this later on, now it was time to call for back up.

Reaching for his radio, Bogo was quick to contact the central.

"Clawhauser! Clawhauser, you are there?" Bogo called, and the answer soon came.

"_Chief! Chief, it is you?_"

"Yes, it's me! I need you to send back up!" The buffalo said, not noticing that one of the animals who was being attacked now had time to look at the buffalo trying to call for backup.

"Oh, no you won't!" Evan said, one of his eyes changing color, adopting a neon-blue coloration, as the dog soon was tapping in the air once more. However, this time his fingers produced an effect in the air, as if he was really tipping commands into some keyboard.

"I don't care if they are busy, I want you to…" Bogo said, but was cut off in the moment his radio buzzed like mad, before it went completely silent. "Clawhauser? Clawhauser, you there!? The radio just died!" He said to his two officers.

Nick looked at him, and tried to call himself for back up. However, his radio looked like it was dead as well.

Meanwhile, Judy was still trying to get these teenagers down from the vines.

"Come on." Judy grunted. "Come on, you stupid…" She pulled and pulled, but it seemed like it was not working. She was about to try something else, when one of the butterflies suddenly dashed right above the teenagers, slashing through the vines. Soon, the three fell into the ground one by one. Patrick fell flat on his chest. Sully landed on his butt, and he was soon rubbing it. Shawn, on his end, landed face first in the ground, miraculously not breaking his glasses.

Judy blinked, and looked at the butterfly, which was fluttering in place. "Uhhh, thanks?" She said, and the butterfly immediately started to dash across the air again.

"Let's get out of here!" Sully was the first to get up, and he seemed ready to run.

"Wait! My dad's camera!" Patrick said, looking around and sighting the camera, which had been lost during the confusion with the butterflies. "He will kill me if I lose it! There it is!" He said, suddenly catching sight of the camera and diving for it.

He barely avoided a piece of flaming rope that belonged to Coyle. He was now swinging his rope, which was flaming with red fire as he swing it around to fend off the glowing butterflies that were flying on his way. He hadn't even noticed Patrick, and the hyena was extremely thankful for it.

Once he had the camera on his paws, the hyena soon rushed back to the main group.

"Dude, did you seriously just risked your life for a camera?" The pig said, and the hyena looked back at him.

"What? It's not you that will have to stand in front of my dad and say that you lost it after he told you seven times to be careful with it!"

"Look, can both of you kids talk about it later? I was kind of hoping to get out of here!" Nick said, and the rest of the group had to agree with him. The group started to move to the exit, however, it was easier said than done.

The fact that the mages were dodging the butterflies, and even trying to fight back at them made it quite risky to be able to pass by them, not to mention on how narrow the space actually was inside that storehouse.

"Damnit!" Bogo said as he looked around, trying to figure out a way to escape, and he saw an opening.

"This way!" He said to the others, as he went forward. However, the buffalo stopped dead on his tracks when something passed by him in high speed and punctured a hole in the wall of the storehouse, almost like a bullet.

Bogo gave a few steps back, and looked to see the tiger, laying on the ground. The big feline made a few movements with his paws, causing dust to come out of the ground and gather on his paw, condensing until it became like small pebbles. He flicked his fingers and the pebbles shot out of his paw at a high speed.

Bogo barely had time to dodge after he felt a sharp sting on his shoulder, making him take a hoof at it. Bogo took out the hoof to see that now it was stained crimson. Meanwhile, the tiger was doing it again, certainly getting ready to fire again.

"Chief!" Judy said, as she had seen the tiger and immediately targeted him with her dart gun. The first dart flew past the tiger, right in front of his face, causing him to roll out of the way before another dart was fired.

Judy was about to fire the third, when a paw grabbed her wrist. The bunny barely had time to look before an animal around her size slammed into her, and Judy blinked, as she suddenly felt warm and wet on the area of her abdomen.

The bunny blinked as the possum moved away from her, a bloodstained dagger in her paw. Judy looked down to see red staining her clothing.

"JUDY!" Nick screamed out as he saw Judy stumbling back, catching her before she hit the ground. The teenagers and Bogo all looked in horror, as the possum simply continued to look, before she had to dodge once more as another butterfly had gone dangerously close to her neck.

"Well, I guess that is enough of this." Percy said, as he put both of his hooves together, and a glow started to come out of them. As the horse unclasped his hooves, he now was holding what seemed to be a deck of cars in it, which glowed in the colors of the rainbow.

Suddenly, the horse made a wide, sweeping movement with his hoof, and the "deck" that was on his hand spread into cards made out of flames, each one burning in one of the colors of the rainbow. Then, with another movement, the cards flew into the air. Each one flying in direction to one of the butterflies.

Each butterfly hit by the cards exploded in flames and sparks, disappearing into the air. The cards flew into the air as if they were direct to the butterflies, hitting each one of them and exploding, freeing his partners from the attacks.

Soon, there were no butterflies left, and the horse was standing in there, holding a single flaming card on his hoof.

As everyone recovered, the mages turned their gaze to the three officers and three teenagers, who were now shrinking from them.

The horse gave a single step forward, and Bogo rose his dart gun.

"Don't move!" The buffalo boomed. The horse looked at him for a few seconds, and gave another step forward, prompting the bovine to pull the trigger and fire darts at him. Each dart that flew from the gun was hit in the middle of the air by fast swipes of the flame card in the horse's hoof, falling to the ground, slice clean.

Bogo looked at the horse, who simply gave him a look, as if he was asking "you done yet?"

Meanwhile, Nick was with Judy, kneeling by her side, with one paw supporting her head and the other in her stomach area, trying to contain the bleeding.

"Judy! Judy. Carrots! Can you hear me?" He asked her, and Judy seemed like she was trying to talk, but she coughed up some blood. "I-it's okay." Nick said to her. "It's okay, you are gonna be okay." However, Nick himself was not sure of that. She was bleeding very much.

Form the wound that the possum had made with a dagger.

"You bastards!" Nick cried out to them, as they now were once more facing the other group.

"Oh, so you care about her, Russet?" The tiger said, looking at the fox. "How interesting…"

"This night did not developed like we expected." The hyena said. "If you allow me to say… I'm not very happy now."

"Neither am I." Said Zane, as he stared daggers at the fox. "Your familiars just gave us a few wounds, fox!" He said as he wiped some wounds that were leaking blood on his body. He had a lot, Coyle himself only had two or three, and the others looked like they had none. The possum had a few as well, and she was not happy about them.

"Well, since his familiars did hurt us a little bit." The possum spoke, raising her hands. "What about _my_ familiars hurt him and his friends?"

Nick did not liked the way she said that, and he liked even less when she started to chant something that Nick did not understood. Soon, some kind of black smoke was forming around her, seemingly coming from the ground. The smoke gathered and seemed to become more defined and solid, until it had taken a form.

Snakes.

Half a dozen snakes as big as Nick had appeared from thin air, and they hissed and bared their fangs.

"Snakes!" Shawn cried out, and Bogo was now pointing his dart gun at the creatures that had just appeared.

"So, Officer." The possum said, "Ready to feel the sting of the Black Vipers?"

Nick could not give a retort to this. He had a paw on the open wound of his partner, trying desperately to keep it from bleeding even more, and now they were surrounded. Nick was never religious, but right now, he was praying for a miracle.

The snakes bared their fangs, and they looked about to attack, when suddenly, sparks flew from somewhere above and hit the snakes, making their heads explode in flame and smoke, before the snakes themselves disappeared.

"What the!?" The possum cried out, stepping back. She was surprised, as well as everyone. Especially when a booming voice came from the ceiling.

"This has gone long enough!"

All eyes were up now, as the voice came from there. "You have caused enough problem now!"

"Who are you?" Zane asked.

"Someone you would not like to have on your back!" The voice said, and something fell from the hole in the ceiling. It sunk its blade into the ground, and the animals could see, in the illumination of the place, a dagger with a silvery and very ornamented hilt.

The mammals all looked at that, and the mages, in particular, had a reaction.

"T-that is…" Coyle said, suddenly looking frightened. "Oh crap…"

"What are Enforcers doing here?" Percy said, looking up.

"This is our own business!" The voice shot back. "Now, you have been breaking laws of the Association and of the Codex! Now, turn around and leave them alone, and I'm willing to overlook what just happened."

The mages seemed to consider it.

"Sounds reasonable." Coyle said.

"So, Enforcers are now letting others go?" Percy asked as he looked up. "That is an interesting development."

"You have not caused lasting damage." The voice said.

"Excuse me!?" Nick cried out, as he still trying to stop Judy's bleeding.

"So, leave them alone, and leave behind the crystal, and this all will be forgotten."

The mages hesitated at this.

"Do we have to?" Coyle asked. "Come on! We worked so hard to do the thing with the crystal!"

"Would you rather have me report to the Association?" The voice boomed. "Or maybe contact the clans and let them know what you are doing in their lands?"

There was silence after that, and the mages all shared looks. The hyena, their leader, sighed, pulling out the small crystal from inside of her cloak. She placed it gently into the ground, and turned to the others, nodding wordlessly.

Soon, the mages were moving out, with Zane carrying the unconscious shape of Butch, and soon, the dog was doing something else.

After he tapped into his imaginary keyboard, a screen of blue light appeared right on the exit of the storehouse, and one by one, the mages passed through it. The last one to pass was Zane, who looked back at them. At the fox.

"Any of these days, you won't be so lucky, Russet." The tiger said, as if it was a warning, and jumped across the screen. Right after the screen disappeared.

There was a long silence, as the mammals in the storehouse tried to understand what had happened. Not one of them seemed to know what to do or what to say. Suddenly, the silence was broke by a sound of wings.

Looking up, the mammals had time to see a big winged creature coming out of the hole in the ceiling, and land gently into the ground. It was a big bird of prey, the curved and sharp beak made it clear, and it had a mammal on its back.

The figure hopped out of the back of the bird, and they could give a look at it. A weasel… no, a ferret. She was around the same size as Judy, if you did not count the bunny's ears, and she had a fit body. Of course, as far as it could be see, once she wore a thick sweater and a long pair of sweatpants. The fur of her head was of a cream coloration, with a dark-grey on a line that went down from between her eyes to the tip of her snout. Her eyes were blue, and they looked worried from behind the lenses of her glasses. She soon was rushing to the mammals in there.

"Are you all okay?" She asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Did they hurt one of you pretty bad, right?"

"Yes! My partner!" Nick said. "That possum bitch stabbed her!"

The fox was still trying to stop the bleeding, but it seemed that it was not working very well.

"Let me see." The ferret female saw as she approached, and Nick hesitated.

"I want to help!" The ferret insisted, "Now, raise her shirt just a little, so I can look."

Nick hesitated only for a second more, and he did as she asked. He raised the shirt of the bunny, which was stained in blood, and allowed the wound to be seen clearly.

Nick looked away as he whined, not liking what he was seeing at all.

The ferret, however, exanimated the wound, and she had a very serious expression on her face. She got up.

"Hold her still." She spoke to Nick, and she put both of her paws together, as if she was getting ready to pray.

She closed her eyes, seemingly as if she was focusing, and she started to chant something, in a way similar to the way that the possum had done before the snakes materialized. After a few moments, she opened her eyes, her paws now glowing, and she continued to chant.

The ferret them knelt by the side of the bunny, who looked back at her, her nose twitching, before thrusting her paws forward and placing it right on Judy's wound.

The bunny flinched hard and gasped, causing the fox and the other animals around to panic for a moment, before they saw that the bunny was not trashing or screaming. Instead, Judy was breathing regularly, and her breathing was actually becoming better than it had been since she was stab in the stomach.

The ferret continued to chant for a few more moments, as she moved her paws over the bunny's belly, as if she wanted to cover the entire area of the wound, before she sighed and removed her paws.

Her paws continued to glow like that for a while, and who looked at them, would be able to see that the glow had a pattern, almost as if there were circuits in her pelt and fur. However, soon they stopped glowing.

The ones who stopped to look at the paws and looked back at the bunny's abdomen, where the paws had been, would see that there was no wound there.

Judy blinked, taking her own paws to her stomach, trying to find the wound that she knew was there, but she found nothing. Not a gash. Not a cut. Not even a scar.

Sitting up, Judy looked at her perfect stomach, which looked not to have been stab at all. She then looked back at the ferret, who looked at her neutrally as she adjusted her glasses.

Bogo, along with the three teenagers, had watched at everything in stunned silence, before he rose his hooves to the air, crying out:

"THAT'S IT! I GIVE UP! YOU WIN!"

Everyone now turned their eyes to the cape buffalo, who looked to be absolutely defeated and exhausted.

"MAGIC IS REAL!"


	15. Taking a Decision

"Thank goodness, it didn't got damaged." Patrick said, as he finished checking on the camera that he borrowed from his father, and that the old hyena had been so insistent for him to be careful with… "Dad would ground me forever if there was a single scratch in it."

"Yeah, that's cool, but what about the video?" Sully said as she and Shawn both stood near the hyena. "The mages didn't erased it, did they?"

The hyena looked at him.

"Well, it seems that the video of the ritual is all okay. We have all the recording until the moment the tiger took the camera from me."

"Great!" The pig said. "Finally we have something solid! We have something that will give our Zootube channel thousands of views! Ain't that great, Shawn?"

The sheep did not answered; he was still hugging himself with both arms, looking quite shaken. Somehow, that was no surprise, considering that he almost got himself a bloody shear by a mean-looking wolf, with a dagger.

The teenagers were actually taking it surprisingly well. They had just been threatened by a bunch of mammals with daggers, and they were still able to act so composed (well, two of three of them, at least), and that considering the fact that they had no training in the matter whatsoever, unlike the other mammals still inside that storehouse.

Bogo was still is a corner. He had removed his police jacket, and now stood only with a black masculine tank top that he usually wore underneath it. He was leaning against a wall, while a female ferret stood by a bunch of craters by his side, leaving her right in the level of his shoulder, which still had the wound of when the tiger flung a pebble at him as fast as a bullet. It did similar damage too, Bogo thanked the fact that he had a though hide.

He flinched when the ferret touched that area, and a strange feeling spread in there. It was warm and tingly, and it somehow felt as if there was something being pour into his body. Kind of like boiling water, only without the burning feeling.

Bogo ventured to look to the side, and he saw the ferret by his side chanting something as she moved her paws over his shoulder. Her paws glowed, as she was doing… whatever it was on him. Bogo could not say for sure what she was actually doing, but he surely knew what it looked like: magic.

When she offered to "help with the wound in his shoulder", Bogo was very hesitant at this. Under normal conditions, he would never have allowed her to do whatever strange thing it was she did. However, he felt a little inclined to let her do it, once he saw the good work she had done with Hopps.

Speaking of the bunny, she was also in the storehouse, Nick still by her side, anxiously checking on her.

"Nick, I told you already, I am fine! Stop worrying!" The bunny said to him as the fox asked her for the 12th time if she needed a doctor or if she still felt any pain or anything out of the ordinary.

Nick usually was not the kind who worried like that about others, and neither did he let his worry show so easily. However, seeing his partner being stabbed in the belly and bleeding profusely from there was something that could really shake someone.

There was so much blood…

Truth was; everyone was a bit shook from what had happened. Each one was dealing with it on their own way. The teenagers were in a corner, the two officers were talking to each other, and Bogo was being attend by the ferret girl who had saved all of their lives.

"Done." The ferret said as she removed her paws. Bogo sighed as he looked back, and saw that the place where once there was a puncture wound on his shoulder, seeming made by a bullet, now there was nothing left behind. Not even a scar to tell the tale, as a wound like that would usually leave.

Bogo looked at his brand-new shoulder, and at the ferret, whose paws were just stopping to glow, and Bogo could see that she was now holding something in her paw. It looked like a pebble.

"You were lucky." The ferret said to him. "The tiger was probably aiming for a vital area when he attacked you. Something like that could have made quite some damage." She said, before tossing the pebble aside.

Bogo followed it with his gaze, and he did just in time to see the pebble crumble into nothing more than dust as it hit the ground. The buffalo blinked, before turning his gaze back to the ferret. His hoof was still massaging his shoulder, as if to try and see if the wound was still there somewhere.

"Thank you." Bogo said, and the ferret just nodded. She then proceeded to climb down from the crates.

"So, is anyone else wounded?" She asked once she was in the ground again. She looked around at the other mammals at the place. "Anyone else who is in need of a helping paw?"

The mammals answered negatively. The ferret looked like she was genuinely impressed. Maybe with the fact that only two mammals had actually gotten hurt in any way in a situation like that.

"You are all quite lucky." She spoke to the mammals in the storehouse. "Having a meeting with a group like that and escape with only two injured…"

"Yeah, we were luckier because you appeared." Patrick said to her. "You really saved our pelts Ms. Enforcer."

"Huh?" The ferret said, looking at him.

"Sorry, is that… I don't know your name, and they did mentioned that you were an 'enforcer', whatever it is..." Patrick admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

The ferret looked at him, and sighed.

"Okay, first of all, my name is Zillah" She spoke to him. "Second, Enforcers are peacekeepers and law upholders among mages, kind of like police." She said, as she looked at the cops present in the place, "Third of all, I am not an Enforcer."

This made the animals all look at her. She sighed. "I just let them think I was an Enforcer so I could get you guys out of trouble. Once more I'm glad that I have that." She said as she pointed at an object that was still in there. The dagger that had come through the hole before the ferret did, and that had sunk into the ground, leaving the decorated silver handle for everyone to see.

"That is a special dagger that the Enforcers have. It is kind of like their badge." She explained to them. "Just show this to someone and they will assume that you are an Enforcer. You don't even need to say anything to them." She spoke as she removed the dagger from the ground, looking at it against the light. "Of course, sometimes they might ask why a ferret would have one of those."

"Oh… so mages have that too?" Patrick asked, and the ferret only sighed.

"I'm surprised that something like that happened, anyway." The ferret said to them. "I mean, it is not every day that so any mages and non-mages clash like that." She looked at the mammals in there.

"How were you able to find us, by the way?" Bogo asked her. "I mean, it _was_ quite convenient that you came to save us right in the last moment."

The ferret looked at him, not seeming offended by this, but only seeming annoyed a little bit.

"I was following them." She said, gesturing to the teenagers. "I was passing in the street, minding my own business, when I heard them talking about having found mages and wanting to go get them on camera."

The teenagers looked away from this, looking quite embarrassed for someone in the street having heard them talking about that.

"Of course, they could just be some guys who knew nothing, but I did had a… feeling about that." She spoke, looking at them. "So, I decided that it was better to follow them, to help them if they got into problem. And of course that they did."

The teenagers now seemed really embarrassed.

"Well, it is good you did." Nick said. "You did save us from becoming snake food, and you saved my partner from bleeding to death…" Nick said, looking at the bunny, and he was trying his best to avoid looking at her clothes, that were still stain with her blood, much like the fur of his paws. Nick could not stop rubbing them, as if he wanted to wash the blood away as soon as possible.

"Thank you for that." Nick said to her, and she looked at the fox. Was she surprise by the sincerity in his voice as he thanked her?

"You're welcome." She spoke. She kept looking at him for a while, before rolling her eyes and letting out an annoyed sound.

"No, Cory! You cannot eat the bunny!" She said in annoyance, surprising the mammals in there and making them wonder whom she was talking with. "So, stop thinking about it." She said as she turned to the creature that was in there. This creature was a bird that stood nearly as tall as Nick. It had long and thin legs and a sturdy body. The feathers it had were brown in the body, with white in its stomach and grey on its neck and face, with a black crest on top of its head. Its eyes were big and very intelligent, and its beak was long and sharp.

As she spoke to it, the bird looked at her, and it stared for a few seconds, before she spoke again:

"No, not even a small finger." She said to the bird, as if answering to a silent question. "Forget it."

The bird looked at her for a while, before lowering its head. Zillah sighed, as she walked to the bird. "Oh, don't be so down." She spoke to the bird. "I'll get you a nice and fat gecko when we get home."

The other mammals looked at this for a while. Before Nick spoke:

"Should we… give you two a moment?"

The ferret looked from the bird and at them. "Sorry about that." She said to the mammals in there. "Cory is a Kori bustard. They mostly live in insects, but they also eat small reptiles and other birds, and they also eat small mammals now and then, especially rodents." She explained, making the mammals around become quite worried. "I don't let him eat mammals, of course, but he still would like to try. He thought that the bunny looked tasty."

Judy felt uncomfortable at this, and by the way that the bird looked at her. She could swear that she just saw it lick its beak.

"Birds that can prey on mammals are not allowed in Zootopia." Bogo said suddenly, as he had remained in silence until now. "So, you need to give a few explanations about that pet of yours."

"Oh, he is not my pet." Zillah said to the big mammal. "He is my familiar. You know, a creature that serves me and obeys my will." She explained as she petted the creature. "Many mages have some of them."

The mammals nodded at this, and some of them could remember that the mages in there did mentioned "familiar" now and then. They particularly had a vivid memory of the possum mentioning that before she conjured up black snakes from thin air to try and use it against them.

"And you also don't have to worry, for I don't order him to go around devouring mammals. It is considered a crime to do so." She told to them. "We have laws about murder and similar things, pretty much like you guys."

"Oh, that's a relief." Nick said.

"These guys didn't seemed like they had problems with this." Shawn said, making the other animals turn to him. Some of them actually had to agree with the sheep, including Zillah, who sighed.

"There is always someone who wants to break the rules." She said to the others. "I guess I don't even have to you that, officers."

Bogo, Nick and Judy all understood what she was saying. The ferret sighed as she continued:

"Of course, our laws give directions to our behavior, and they prevent us from acting like monsters, but not everyone follows them. Like these mages." She said, and she looked around. "Our laws forbid us from committing murder, but some do not follow them, which is why the Enforcers exist… kinda…" She looked around, seeing the dead crocodiles around the circle; they were starting to attract flies.

"Killing beasts is a different matter, it is not forbidden by the Codex, but it is still discouraged." She admitted, and looked at them. "By the way, can I have a look at the video?" She asked Patrick, who was a bit surprised at the sudden request.

"Oh… uh, sure?" He said, handling her the camera. He even gave her a few directions on how to use it, as he remembered how the tiger handled the camera. She reassured him, though:

"Relax, I know how to handle technology. Unlike other mages." She said, as she operated the camera calmly, and soon, she was seeing the video that had they had recorded, the ritual that was performed.

"Wow…" She said after watching the video for a few moments. "That is some ritual they did. I wonder if they came up with it themselves or if they got it from somewhere…"

"So… you guys really don't kill mammals for rituals?" Shawn asked her, the matter still in his mind and bothering him. "And neither do you guys make mammals 'disappear' to prevent them from talking?"

She looked up from the video, looking at the sheep, and them looking around to the others.

"No we don't." She said to them. "We used to do it in the old times, but we stopped it as soon as the Codex was written and stablished. Now, if there are witnesses, we try to discredit them. When much, we hypnotize them."

"Discredit, you say…" Bogo said, and it seemed that now he was thinking at something. However, it was Nick who talked into another matter that interested him:

"Sorry, did you say 'hypnotize'?"

All eyes were now on the ferret, as she explained.

"Mages can do things that other mammals consider impossible, or in the realm of fantasy. Like hypnotizing others." She explained to them. "By influencing the minds of others it is possible to alter their memories, make them forget things, remember them differently, or even remember things that never happened. If we are see by non-mages, we should use mental interference to make them forget what they saw, in order to preserve our secrets. All mages know how to hypnotize, although some are better at this than others…"

Nick nodded at this, as he and the other mammals in the storehouse took in what was just said.

_So, they _did_ alter Wolfard's memory._ Nick thought, as he felt some of his suspicions confirmed. Well, he was already sure of that, but hearing someone else confirming it did had an effect. It explained definitely what happened, and it also rose many possibilities.

"So, that was what the coyote was going to do to us?" Patrick asked, "That was what he meant by '_memory-wiped mammals'_?" He asked, remembering quite well how the coyote was acting before the other mammals became homicidal.

"Yes, this is the procedure." Zillah confirmed. "It is the rule to do that to preserve the secrecy of our craft."

"Oh…"

There was a brief silence, and Sully asked:

"Wait, are you… are you going to do it to us?"

The ferret's face adopted a serious expression, as she looked up from the camera, and pressed a final button before closing the screen of the digital device. She looked very intently at the mammals in there.

"Indeed, I should…"

The mammals became tense as they heard that, and some of them actually cowered as they looked at the ferret, all of sudden wondering if she would be dangerous. However, Zillah sighed, as her expression changed from seriousness to some kind of defeated resignation.

"But… I won't."

The mammals relaxed a bit at this, but they seemed that they were a bit more on guard by the way that the ferret girl had spoken.

"By now, I don't think it would make any difference." She admitted, as she looked away. "I mean, ever since that website came along, we have been exposed in many ways in many different places across the world. Of course, they don't know our identities yet, but they already saw that we really are around. Now only the foolest or most blind of mammals are still refusing to acknowledge that the supernatural exists."

Nick and Judy both gave a look at the Cape buffalo in the room. Luckily, for them, Bogo seemed like he didn't noticed it. Of course, by the way that he was rubbing the back of his own neck and looking away, some could almost say that it was as if he was taking in account his own fault.

"All of us have already accepted that the cone of silence has fallen, and there are no way to put it up again." Zillah continued. "There is no more hope of keeping ourselves in secret… it seems that all we can do now is prepare for the worse."

"Oh, bummer." Patrick said, and Judy got interest by what the ferret said. The way she said it also got her somewhat worried.

"I'm sorry…what do you mean by 'prepare for the worse'?" The bunny asked, and the expression of the ferret got even somber, which caused the worries of the bunny to increase even more.

"The attacks against us are getting worse." The ferret said. "No mage was harmed yet, but the attacks are getting closer to us, and many are deeply worried about all of that."

"Oh… well, no wonder." Sully said, as everyone had to acknowledge what was happening. "I mean, I would be uncomfortable if I thought someone was out to get me."

"They are getting ready for a war." She said; dropping a bomb, as all of the mammals around froze in place.

Was she serious?

"I have some friends and some contacts, and from what they told me, there are a lot of things being prepared right now." She spoke to the mammals around her. She decided that it was better if they would know it already. "The non-mages are getting ready to fight; even their military seems to be getting ready to use an armed response. So, some of us are already getting ready for the possibility of a war. They are preparing powerful rituals to be used in a moment's notice, preparing defenses of their houses and workshops, preparing groups to fight on their name; some are even using hypnosis to take control of individuals in key positions."

"Oh my gods!" Judy said, reflecting the emotions of many of the presents. Of course, they knew that the tensions were high, but thinking that some were actually expecting a war to break, and that were getting ready for it?

"I do not agree with any of that." Zillah said. "I don't think that war would bring anything good for anyone. I actually think that in the end, we all would be losing."

"Then you should tell them this!" said Shawn, and the ferret scoffed a little bit at them. Actually, it was a sound between a scoff and a chuckle.

"Yeah, right." She said. "As if any of them would listen to me." She spoke to them. "They are all on edge, just like the non-mages."

"Well, yeah. But I guess that this is because they don't really know what is going on." Patrick said, making the hyena look at him. "I mean, they are confused, they don't know what to expect, and that is enough to make anyone nervous. It is happening with you guys too." He said, referring to mages, as he spoke to Zillah. The ferret only looked back at him.

"Yeah! They would not be so nervous if they had some facts!" Sully said, "That is we are doing what we do! So that everyone will know what is going on and they would not be so nervous anymore! That is it! The mission of the Mage Chasers is to spread information to reduce the fear and prevent a war! It is our duty!"

Everyone looked at him for a few moments. Before Zillah finally took again into talking:

"Anyway, I don't think I could actually make any difference." She spoke, "I mean, sometimes I even wonder if I could actually do something… but it would be useless."

Judy looked at her as she said that.

"How can you say that?" The bunny asked.

"I'm nobody." Zillah spoke once more. "I'm not from an important family. I'm not influent or powerful. I don't have important contacts. On top of all of that, I'm a ferret, and most mammals don't readily take the words of a ferret." She spoke with a tone of sadness. "There is even a thing I'd been thinking but…" She stopped for a few seconds, and sighed. "I'm only a mammal. I cannot make any difference in this world."

"That's not truth!" Judy said, making the ferret look at her. "Zillah," Judy said, referring to the ferret by her name, "if _I_ thought like that, I would have just stayed back in BunnyBurrow, and I would never have tried to become a cop! Every mammal can make a difference!"

Zillah looked at her.

"I'm only me…"

"Change starts with all of us." Judy said to her, making the ferret look at her. "This thing you have been thinking… would it be able to make things better?"

Zillah hesitated before answering. "W-well… yes, I believe it would… but-"

"Then you should go for it!" Judy said to her, the way that she spoke, and the conviction in her voice, really had caught Zillah out of guard. "If you think it will help and prevent mammals from starting to kill each other, you should do it! You should do your part to help things get better!"

Judy was panting as she spoke that, and Zillah continued to look at her wide-eyed.

"You should go and try to make the world a better place." The bunny finished.

After these words, a long silence hung in the air, as both the bunny and ferret looked at each other. It seemed that Zillah was not sure on how to answer to what the bunny just said. As they looked at each other, suddenly, Judy's ears twitched at a sound. A sound soon caught by the ears of the others on the storehouse.

"Are those sirens?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah." Nick confirmed. "_Police_ sirens."

"Clawhauser must have sent the backup I requested." Bogo said.

"I have to go!" Zillah said, tossing the camera to Patrick, who was quick to catch it, before hurrying to the big bird in the place and climbing on its back.

"Wait!" Nick said, as the ferret got ready to leave. She stopped for a moment, looking at the fox.

"Thank you again." Nick said to her. "You know, for saving my partners life."

Judy walked by his side, and she spoke to the ferret as well.

"Anyone can make a difference. Please, don't forget this."

For a long moment, the ferret only looked to both of them, as the sirens got closer and closer. Suddenly, she tapped the back of the neck of her bird, causing it to cry out as it flapped its wings, gaining altitude, and suddenly taking off to the sky, flying through the hole in the ceiling, and vanishing from sight of the mammals who were inside of the warehouse.

Silence filled the storehouse; a silence broke only by the sound of the sirens coming closer and closer.

"Well, that was something…" Patrick said, breaking the silence.

"The backup will arrive shortly, and they will want to know what happened." Bogo said, seemingly more to himself than to the ones who were in here. "I'm just thinking on what I'm going to put on my report about all of that…"

"Yeah, I guess they will be inclined to believe, considering all that had happened recently." Judy said. "Nick and I can both support what you will tell, I'm sure they will believe us."

"Yeah, after they have gave you a checkup." Nick insisted, making Judy groan at him.

"Well, they will surely believe when they see our video!" Sully said proudly, while Patrick checked on the camera. "We have recorded a magic ritual first paw! But just for you to know, we are not 'delivering it as evidence', it is _our_ video!"

The pig was incisive when he said that, making the cops look at him. He didn't noticed the way that the hyena froze by his side.

"Oh, crap…"

"That's right! This video is of our property!" Sully said. "We will post it online so everyone can see it! The views in our channel will surely go astronomical after we post it!"

"Maybe not…" Patrick said, making the pig look at him. "The video is gone."

"WHAT!?" Sully shouted. "What do you mean 'is gone'!?"

"Is not here anymore!" Patrick said to him. "I… I think the mage erased it…"

"Oh, come on!" Sully shouted, as the sound of footsteps of the other cops approached the storehouse…

* * *

The subject did not simply ended on that night. It was not possible.

The Mage Chasers were not able to post the video, but they were still willing to post something, and they were not giving up in their quest for fame by exposing mages.

Bogo and the two officers also did not forgot what was going on. Bogo seemed a lot different ever since that night, as he seemed more distant, and deeper in thought. Meanwhile, Nick and Judy were both worried for what they had heard in there, as they had learnt that it seemed that the mages were actually getting ready for war. This was enough to make both of them worry.

Also, the fact that they had to give a report regarding all the fantastic things that they had witnessed on that night made sure that they would not forget so easily what they had seen.

However, the one who was probably the more affected by that night was probably Zillah.

It had been a few days since that night, and she had finished her business in Zootopia already, returning to her home. Still, she could not forget what she had gone through that night.

Most mages would not bother in helping someone like that. They would mostly have chosen to mind their own business and let it behind. However, Zillah was not like most mages. She didn't felt like turning her back into others like that, as some 'proper mages' would do. She had always been a bit different from the 'proper way of a mage', as her father had always put it, and how he had always insisted in trying to correct.

Zillah learned to be loyal to their traditions, but she was still herself. She was not the kind to turn her back into others who needed help. Hence why she went after these three knuckleheads after knowing that they would get themselves in problem. Hence why she saved the life of that bleeding bunny. She even healed the shoulder of that big buffalo who looked at her with a lot of mistrust. Zillah was like that, she helped who needed it.

Maybe that was why she felt so uncomfortable with what was happening.

Knowing that mammals were attacking each other and getting ready to fight with all that they got was something that deeply troubled her. She was troubled ever since it began, for she could only see disaster, death and suffering sprouting from all of this. She knew it would end badly, and she could see only bad results coming forth.

This troubled her, and made her wish to do something to help solve the situation, to help bring some good out of this.

She tried to find a solution, and she eventually came to an answer. However…

She tried to see other solutions, but none of them seemed as efficient as _that_ one. However, she knew that _that_ solution was one that would have repercussions for herself. Not to mention that she was still not sure on how exactly it would pan out. While she knew that it would help things along, she had no way of truly knowing the many other repercussions of what would happen.

Not to mention the memory of her father. She knew that, if her father was still alive to hear about her idea, he would most likely die, but not before he screamed at her for even thinking on something like that.

She had pretty much gave up on that idea. However, what happened in that night still clung up to her.

Most of all, the words of the bunny cop had stayed with her.

Almost three days later, and the words of the bunny remained with her. The look in her eyes. The way that she seemed like she truly believe that Zillah could actually make a difference by herself.

It was unusual for someone to think like that…

Also, the things that she said.

Making the world a better place…

Oh, how her father would have laughed at something like that. Zillah, however, somehow believed these words, as much as a mage could.

It sounded something of a naïve optimism, even childish. Still, there was something in these words that simply did not let Zillah forget them. The sureness in the eyes of the bunny as she spoke these words…

Something about it just spoke to Zillah in a deep, very intimate way. As if these words had been just made for her.

She knew it was childish and hopelessly romantic to say that. Still, she was able to feel this way as if it was the truth.

This caused her to wonder to herself why it was that she gave up on her idea.

Because it was a bad one?

Because it was something that would cause repercussions that could bring trouble in the long run?

Because it would make a lot of mammals get mad at her?

Was it because of her father?

The old ferret was a stupid old mammal full of crap and non-sense. He was on his last days due to a life of bad choices, and he had probably only stayed alive so long out of stubbornness. He was less than caring, and he was more worried with the 'future of their lineage' than with the happiness of his only child. That much Zillah would be able to tell to anyone with a good deal of sureness.

It had not been long since he passed, as his bad decisions caught up with him. He still went before the time, and left a lot of burden to Zillah as inheritance. It was hard to feel any sympathy or fondness in the memories of that grumpy ferret.

He was old fashioned, and would have hated Zillah's idea.

Zillah knew that this was the main reason why she put that idea aside. However, what happened recently moved something in here. This caused her to start to consider her idea, each day more.

On that day, she finally made up her mind.

She finally decided what she would do.

She didn't cared if her father would never approve it, and she was not worried of the consequences on the long run, for she knew that if she did it, things had better chances of getting better.

She knew what she had to do.

And she knew her first step.

She needed to contact Victoria Vulpen.

* * *

The ZNN was a busy workplace.

Such a big news network was busy by nature. It had many employees that worked for it. There were the reporters. The anchors. The editors. The technicians in computation. The guys who dealt with equipment and the many things that were needed to put the programs on air. The specialists in make-up that helped the anchors and reporters to be in good conditions for the camera. All of these individuals went back and forth into the place, as they needed to be ready to deal with all of the jobs that they needed to do to be sure that the programs would be on air right on time, and that the news would be deliver to all their viewers.

Many of these mammals were there because they had chosen a line of work in which they would be able to search for the truth and pass it on to others. They were individuals who were keen on letting others know the truth. They had assumed a compromise with the truth, they wanted to search for it and let others know it, and they were keen on following this goal.

Of course, some of them were keener on this goal than others.

Among them, there was one among them that was particularly dedicated to the goal of looking for the truth and telling others. She was quite special, for she was the only fox working in the ZNN. Her name was Victoria Vulpen, "Vicky" to her closest friends. She was quite attractive, and that was easy for many to say. She had a slender and voluptuous body, not quite something that you would see in supermodels or in these "super silicone" women, but she was quite attractive. She also had a nice coat of fur, of a toasted orange, with brown on her paws, feet and ears. Her face was beautiful, with a cream muzzle (the same color of the tip of her tail) and eyes of a soft-brown coloration. She also had good taste in clothing; as today she had chosen a choice of clothing that is of a pair of jeans pants that hugged her hips nicely, and a red blouse that helped highlight her bust, the clothes definitely helped valorize her body. She wasn't even trying to be attractive, and still, anyone could see just how attractive of a vixen Vicky was.

She walked across the hallways of the ZNN, greeting the animals that passed by her as she walked, but doing so quickly and briefly. She focused in finding one mammal in particular…

She was able to find him, talking with a llama that looked to be from the illumination crew. The said mammal was a big stag. He stood 6'10'' feet tall, much taller than Vicky, who stood on 3'11''. He had a luxurious coat of dark-brown coloration, with a big and proud pair of antlers on his head. His muzzle was of a lighter brown, going down his neck and surely his chest. His eyes were of a golden coloration, and they focused on the llama, as he seemed to be explaining something to him. He was wearing a very expensive-looking suit of indigo coloration with a red tie. He seemed to have failed to notice Vicky's approach, as he kept his attention entirely into the llama.

"You really need to work better on the light, man." The stag spoke to him. "Seriously, the way you illuminate me makes my snout get bigger and bigger! I need to look better to present my stories…"

"I'm sorry…" Vicky said, calling the attention of the stag, making him look down at her. "_Your_ stories?"

"Oh, Vicky!" The stag said to her, and he was quick to dismiss the llama, so he could focus his attention entirely on the vixen.

"Vicky, my dear Vicky, I'm so glad to see you! Have you seen the story yesterday? It was brilliant, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was…" Vicky agreed. "You certainly have way with the words, Stan."

The stag, Stanley Staglore, "Stan" for his friends, smiled proudly at this.

"Oh, I sure have! I _am_ very charming on my own, ain't I right?" The stag boasted, and Vicky could only roll her eyes, but she was still able to smile at the stag. All the while, not failing to notice the flamboyant (and somewhat effeminate) ways that he acted. That was Stan alright, he was one of the first mammals who made friends with her, soon after she made her first story. Matter of fact, he offered to take it to the boss for her, to present it. The story was presented, and the boss liked it pretty much… however, it wasn't Vicky who got to present the story when it aired.

"Vicky, I still get admired of how great stories you get!" Stan said to her and they both walked forth, and Stan chatted with her with a lot of elegance as he spoke. "I mean, finding out the identity of the leader of the group responsible for throwing bombs at the occultism places? Who else would have found out something like that? You are surely the best!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Vicky said to him, kind of distracted. Suddenly, she moved in front of Stan, blocking his way, and she looked up, her face serious. "Stan, I know that yesterday's story was great! I saw how well you did, and I'm glad that another of my stories made it to the noble hours of the news reports, but… have you talked to the boss?" She asked, and she seemed to be quite serious about that. "Have you talked to him about letting me present the next one myself?"

Stan stopped a little, blinking.

"Oh…"

The deer seemed to get a little awkward at this.

Not a good sign.

"Yeah, I talked to the boss about it." Stan said to her, seeming like he was about to give some bad news. News that Vicky had the feeling she already knew. "I told him how hard you were working on the stories, how proud you were of getting then, and how much you wanted to be the one on the tv presenting them, but…"

Vicky looked up at him, and sighed.

"No one wants to see foxes presenting news…" She said, having already memorizing the words. Of course, it would be like that once more. Why would it be different now? It had been like that ever since she started working in there one year ago.

"He is worried that it might stain the ZNN's reputation." The stag told her. "A lot of mammals still have bad opinion on foxes, and some of them could not like seeing a fox presenting news on the main news channel of Zootopia."

There was a heavy silence, as the vixen took in the news that she had already been expecting, but that still stung hard on her, as much as she did on the first time.

"I did my best, Vicky, I swear." Stan said to her. "I told him that it was nonsense. That you are beautiful and a very good speaker. That you would make success if you appeared, but he was insistent. He kept saying that no one wants to see foxes on the news unless it is about the crimes they committed, that having a fox presenting news could give a bad image to the ZNN and that they should avoid that…" He stopped for a moment, and he added, sounding quite guilty:

"And that… we should keep the system in which you give your stories for me to present…"

She didn't wanted to let it sting. But sting it did. It did every time.

Every. Single. Time.

"… did he said anything else?" Vicky asked after a few moments of silence, and looked up at the stag, who seemed to be debating if he should or not tell her this.

"Well?" Vicky insisted, and the stag seemed to finally decide to let her know.

"Well… he said that he admires your… dedication in finding stories, and that he hoped that the ones you got it from weren't ugly ones, if you understand…"

Oh, she _did_ understood…

Vicky looked down, and Stan knelt in front of her.

"Oh, darling." He said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I'll try to talk to him harder next time."

Vicky didn't answered to this, as she kept looking down.

"Oh, come on, Vicky. This is not an attitude that someone with 'Victory' in the name should have." Stan said to her, and this time she did looked up at him. "Vicky, you are responsible, strong, and determined. You are the best investigative reporter that I've seen in years, and every day you just show how much you love working as a reporter and how far you are willing to go to find the truth." He said to her, and placed a hoof under her chin.

"I know that one day you will be presenting your stories in news, and that everyone will see just how amazing you are."

The way he said it made Vicky feel a little better. She was able to smile at him, and he smiled back at her.

"Okay, I'll tell you what, next time you have a story, I'll take it to him and I'll not leave until he agrees to let you be the one to present it, okay?"

Stan was a good friend, that much Vicky was sure. He was one of the few who firstly wanted to be near her. Of course, she has made some friends in the ZNN ever since she came, but Stan was one of the few who was nice and receptive of her from the very beginning. He was a nice stag, and knowing that she had a friend like him in the ZNN meant a lot to Vicky.

Still, she would like to have the right to present her own stories. Or at least not have the others think that she slept around to be able to get them.

Vicky was a fox, or more precisely, she was a red fox vixen. While vixens were often subject to the same prejudices that the male foxes suffer, they also have an extra stereotype reserved to the vixens considered particularly attractive, like Vicky was. Vixens were famous for using their charm and beauty to get what they wanted. While tod foxes would use cunning and trickery to get what they wanted, vixens would seduce others to get what they desired.

Vixens were considered a paramount of predator beauty and grace, with some of them making quite a success as actresses and even dominating the world of fashion. A stereotype built with the help of vixens like Marilyn Murroe and Megan Fox. A stereotype that almost led Vicky to give up on studying to be a reporter and pursuing a career in the world of fashion. However, she got encouraged to keep pursuing her dream by Nicholas Wilde, who became Zootopia's first fox cop. Well, if a tod could go against all the stereotypes and prejudices of society, and become a cop, there was no reason why a vixen could not pursue a career on news. This was all the encouragement that Vicky needed to graduate in her college and to pursue a career nowhere other than the ZNN.

Of course, only because she choose to go against the stereotypes of vixens, it didn't meant that others were willing to see past the stereotypes. Like, for instance, her stupid and bigoted boss, who kept her out of the news and forced her to pass her stories to Stan because "a deer would be better on the screen than a fox", and of course, who thought that she slept with others to get stories.

Yes, that was another stereotype vixens faced, one which – Vicky supposed – came from some old R-rated movie. It was the stereotype that vixens took the use of their charm and beauty to extremes, and actually went as far as taking other mammals to bed in order to get them to give them what they wanted.

Vicky got infuriated that someone would take her by this kind of vixen. The idea that she would use her own body as payment for any kind of story was dirty and disgusting, and knowing that others actually thought that she did it made her feel dirty. She didn't slept with other mammals to get her stories! She used her investigation skills, she talked to her sources sources, and she used every legal and ethical mean at her disposal to be able to find the truth and be able to pass it forward in her stories. She never needed to seduce others into sleeping with her to get anything in life! She never did and she never would!

Oh, how she would love to storm in the boss office and say that and much more right into his bulbous snout!

Vicky sighed, as she knew that doing so would only get her fired. All she could do was continue to do her best. After all, she did got in this because she wanted to search for the truth, wherever it was, and she was happy in doing so. She was even willing to keep up with the stupid prejudices of her boss only so she could continue to do her job. She just had to wait. One day it would come the day in which she would be able to shine. She just knew it…

She was snap out of her thoughts when her phone ringed. She was swift to pick it up and take it to her face, before saying:

"Hello?"

"_Victoria Vupen?_" A female voice said on the other end.

"Yes?"

"_Victoria Aldrich Vupen? Born on August 8th of 1994?_" The voice insisted, and this got Vicky to stop and pay attention.

"Who is it?"

"_I have a story for you._" The voice said. This caught Vicky's attention.

"Story? What story?"

"_One that could make your career, if you are interested…_"

Vicky was pondering it. She decided to proceed with caution.

"Could you give me some details, by any chance?" She asked, wanting to get more information before pursuing it. It was something that she learned in her college, to be sure of the facts before you went for a story.

"_It has to do with the current situation of the world._" The voice said on the other end. "_This is all I can tell you through the phone. If you want more details, you will have to meet me in person._"

Now, Vicky was careful and all, but she would be lying if she said that she was not interested. She had a few other stories that she had been thinking about pursuing, but having another one to booth didn't seemed like a bad deal.

"Well, let's suppose I do want that story." Vicky said, still being sure to be careful. "Are you willing to tell me without asking nothing in return?"

"_I have a few conditions._" The voice on the other end said to her.

"Of course you have…" Vicky said.

"_I want this story to be treated with the proper care and respect._" The female said. "_I want to know that my words will not be distorted and used as a form of spreading misinformation and of favoring or condoning anyone. I want them to be transmitted to the world as they are. I want to be sure that the truth will be said._"

As the female on the other end finished, Vicky was quick to answer.

"I am a _reporter_." The vixen said with pride. "I dedicate myself to the search of the truth. I know that there are a lot of mammals out there who either make up something to have ratings, or change it to better suit their needs, but I assure you, I am _not_ one of those. I put the truth in first place, _always_." She finished, as clearly and incisively as she could, making sure that whoever was the gal on the other end of the line, she truly understood that Vicky was a correct and upright journalist.

There was a pause, and then, the female on the other side said:

"_This is exactly what I hoped to hear from you._" Did she sounded relieved? It was hard to tell, but she did seemed at least a tad bit satisfied. "_So, I'll give you instructions on where to find me, do you have pen and paper?_"

Well, she did had. Vicky had learned to be always ready, so she always carried a pen and notepad with her, to take notes whenever necessary. She wrote down the instructions. Yes, they needed to be instructions, for it was not a precise address on a street, but a place far from the main city, nearly leaving the Meadowlands.

"That is pretty far and isolated." She mentioned as she finished writing down what the female told to her. "And it will take a while to get there."

"_I know._" The voice said. "_You will also need a news crew. Gather one and bring them to the place by the sundown of today, with all you need to record the story. Only mammals that you trust, no more than four. And don't let anyone besides them know what you will be doing. If I see anyone more than these four with you I'll not give you anything. Is that clear?_"

Vicky didn't like being bossed around. However, all the mystery that was coming from what the female on the other end was saying was truly enticing her curiosity of reporter. She decided to go along with it, at least for now.

"Okay, I'll do it…" Vicky said once more. "But, just to be sure… is this story really worth my time?"

"_Believe me, it is._" The female voice said. "_See you by sundown…_"

* * *

The day passed on very calmly after that, although Vicky had to put herself to work. She immediately went to the four mammals that she trusted in order to have them be her news crew. They were some mammals that trusted her opinion, and that had worked with her on more than one occasion.

It took a little convincing, but all of them agreed to go with her.

At some point of the day, all of them excused themselves from work and gathered into a smaller news van to go on their way. It had to be a discrete one, because it was already clear that keeping low profile was important. Even the mammals of the ZNN didn't truly knew where they were going.

Vicky did felt a little bit guilty over this, once she wished to at least have told Stan about it. He loved this kind of secrecy things…

It took almost two hours of driving, and it demanded them to pass by an old and beaten dirt road. However, they soon arrived into the place where they were supposed to be. It was an old field, almost a meadow, on the borders of Meadowland (as you probably guessed), which was a very isolated part of Zootopia. It was far from the urban areas, and there were no houses for miles.

The van stopped right near the point where the one in the female on phone call told: a great formation of rocks that looked somewhat like stone disks, piled over each other forming a primitive stair. It almost looked like a piece of modern art.

There were a few trees around, and as the van stopped, the middle of the van opened, and three mammals stepped out.

The first one was a skunk. She stood on 3'5'' feet tall, with black and white fur, with a slender body and fur colored in black and white like most skunks, with a generous tuft of splashed black and white fur on the top of her head, which highlighted her almond-colored eyes. She wore a simple set of green shirt and skirt. She was Natalia Musker, she was in charge of scene direction.

Next came a beagle holding a camera. He stood on 3'10'' feet tall, with a fit built and fur of white and light-brown coloration, with beady hazelnut eyes. He wore common clothes of white shirt and long red pants, and a white hat on his head with the ZNN logo in it. He was Cameron Beagues, and he was a good camera mammal.

Finally, came out an otter. He had brown fur with a softer shade of cream on his muzzle and down his neck, with long whiskers on his face, along with green eyes. He stood on 3'2'' feet tall, and he had a thin built. He was wearing black shirt and pants, with a jeans jacket on his body. He was Jeremy Otterly, and he was in charge of the sound.

As the three mammals stood in there, the door of the driver's side of the van opened, and out came a beaver. He was on 4'1'' feet tall, with fur of a brown coloration, and dark-brown paws, feet and long tail. He had long whiskers on his face and buckteeth. His eyes were beady and deep. He was wearing a white shirt with long black pants, and his shirt had the logo of the ZNN. He was Larry Beaveland, and he was in there both to be the driver and to help with the equipment.

Now, the thing that each one of these mammals had in common – aside from the fact that they all worked to the ZNN and that they were very competent in their work – was the fact that all of them had become very good friends with Vicky Vulpen. They had all became quite close to her during the one year that she had been working in the ZNN so far.

Speaking of Vicky, she had just came out of the passenger's side of the van, and looked around, taking in the sight of the place that she had been instructed to go. The rock formation had been right where the female voice had described. Vicky had followed the instructions the best she could, and with the reference points that she was told to look for along the way, she had actually little problem to get in the place. Aside from the long time.

"Man…" Larry said as he stretched his body, his paws soon going to his butt and massaging it. "Two hours… It took us two hours to get in here." He then looked around, at the place where they were now. "Well, at least it looks nice."

"So, are you going to tell us why we came here now?" Natalia asked. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it was not to see the nature."

"I told you already." Vicky said to her. "I received a call that told me about a possible story. She told me to come here."

"Kinda far of a place, ain't it?" Said Jeremy, as the other looked around the place. "I doubt there is anyone living in a few miles from here. But, gotta admit is quite nice. Quiet. I would come here for a vacation."

"And so much grass to roll into!" Said Cameron. "I bet that there is a lot of sunlight in the middle of the day! This place seems like an awesome place to spend vacation!" The others could only roll their eyes.

Dogs…

"So, anything else you can tell us about that story you were told you would get?" Natalia asked.

"Not really." Vicky admitted to the others. "The gal was pretty vague when she told me to come here."

"Did she at least gave you a clue of what the story was about?" Jeremy asked.

"She said it had to do with the situation of things right now."

"What, you mean, about the mages and stuff?" Cameron asked.

"Well, I guess you can suppose that this is what she meant…"

"So, she told you to come here and wait for your story to arrive?" Larry asked her. "And you just came? This could be kinda dangerous, you know? She could be working with some pervert who could be out to get you."

"She didn't sounded like that." Vicky said, "Besides, I brought you guys with me, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but we are not exactly made to defend anyone in a situation of danger." Larry said, gesturing to the group brought, which included a small female skunk, a slightly fat beaver, a skinny other, and a dog that many knew was not the sharpest tool of the shelf. In truth, a group that some would not choose to be their protectors in a moment of danger…

"Anyway, she told me that she would meet me here by 'sundown', which would be around now." She said, as she looked at the sun that was getting near the point of setting, causing the sky to change the blue hue to an orangish shade.

"So, she didn't even gave a certain hour?" Natalia said. "Well, that is juts peachy." She said, as she looked up. She blinked as she saw a bird hoovering over them, getting closer.

"Just keep your eyes open in the case of a car is coming." Vicky said to them, and the group was looking at the sides, mainly at the road of beaten dirt that was the point of access to the place. However, Natalia was still looking up, squinting her eyes.

"Is it just me, or there is a ferret on the back of that bird?"

All eyes turned to the skunk, and them up, and they could see what she was seeing. They all saw as the bird hoovered closer and closer to the ground, going down in circles. As it came closer, they could see that indeed there _was_ a ferret on its back, riding it as if it was a regular mounting bird.

The creature landed, and soon, the young female ferret jumped down from its back, and was now looking at the mammals, who were looking back at her.

"Well… that was unexpected." Larry said.

"Ms. Vulpen?" The ferret asked, and Vicky nodded.

"I talked to you on the phone." The ferret said. "I'm here to give you your story."

Vicky shared a look with the other mammals.

"And you are..?"

"I am a mage." The ferret spoke.

A heavy silence followed these words, as the mammals with Vicky traded looks among themselves.

"You are… a mage?" Cameron asked, looking at her up and down, and seeing that she looked pretty much like any ferret her age. She actually had kind of a geek look, with these glasses and all. "I mean, not that we doubt, but… you don't kind of have a 'mage look'."

The ferret looked at him for a few moments, and reaching out for her pocket, pulling out… a lighter.

She flicked it, producing a flame. She then moved her paw closer to the flame, and her hand started to glow. Immediately, the flame started to move on its own, and from it, sprouted three snake-like tendrils made of fire.

"Flipping frogs!" Larry said as he nearly jumped back, and the other mammals were also looking in shock at this. They looked as the tendrils of fire dissipated, leaving behind points that looked like very bright sparks. The ferret made a gesture with her paw, causing the sparks to fly around herself, before she made another gesture, and the sparks flew in direction to a tree. Once they hit it, they exploded in flames, deeply marking the tree, as they charred it and even removed part of its bark with the strength of the explosion.

There was a heavy silence, as the mammals slowly looked from the damaged tree back to the ferret, who was looking with an expression that bordered on boredom.

"Okay…" Cameron said, "You _are_ a mage."

"So…" The ferret asked, looking straight at Vicky. "Do you want the story?"

* * *

On the following morning, Vicky had woke up very early, took a good breakfast, got dressed, picked up her things, and took off to work.

With her, she was taking an external HD that had something very important in it. Something that could easily make her career. Something that she had expend until late at night of the previous day working with Larry, who was good in working with videos and editing.

She had not altered the original meaning of what was recorded in there. She only worked the video to make it presentable. After all, not only she had promised to the ferret that she would not change it to suit her needs, but she also didn't wanted to be someone who made fame by lying and altering the truth.

Upon arriving, she immediately went to the place where she knew that she could find her boss.

Upon arriving, his secretary told her that he had not arrived yet, and that she could wait for him if she wanted.

She did waited for him; she patiently waited for nearly forty minutes until her boss arrived. Lawrence Saiga was an antelope that stood on 5'1'' feet tall, with a fit body and a short fur of orangish-yellow coloration. He had a bulbous snout on his face and eyes of a hazelnut coloration. His head was decorate by long bronze-colored horns. He always wore some nice clothing. Today he had gone for a white social shirt, gray blazer, gray dress pants, and a yellow tie. He seemed surprised for seeing Vicky in there, and the vixen was quick to say that she wanted to talk to him in private.

Soon they both were inside his office, quite nice, and the antelope turned to her.

"So, Ms. Vulpen. What is it?" He asked her, very politely. "By your expression, I assume it is important."

Vicky looked right at him, and she took a deep breath.

"I have a story." She said, showing him the HD. "I want it to be aired."

"Oh."

"And I want to receive the proper credit for it." Vicky said, and she looked intently at her boss. The antelope said nothing, and she continued.

"The whole story is already recorded in here, and I was the one who presented it." Vicky said to him. "I want it to air as it is now, without any modifications and without being altered."

"I have been in the ZNN for almost a year, and all this time I saw my stories being presented by someone else." She spoke to her boss. "I'm tired of this. I want my stories to be presented by myself. I don't even need to be live on television, I just need to know that my story will be presented as mine, and not someone else's."

"I don't care if mammals will not want to see a fox on television or presenting a story." Vicky said after a pause. "I want to take credit for my own work."

There was a huge silence, as Vicky looked at her boss. She was fully expecting him to try to talk her out of it, saying that it could be bad for the image of the ZNN to have a fox presenting the news, she was even ready for the case in which he would flat-out forbid her of presenting anything on television. If it was the case, she was ready to quit her job and go offer the story to someone else.

However, she was surprised when he said:

"Well, I'm really glad to hear this."

She blinked, as she looked up at him.

"It was about time for you to want to take credit for your own stories." He said to her with a sympathetic smile. "After all, we all know how hard you work for them."

She blinked as she kept staring at him. Was this the same mammal who did not let a fox show her own stories and forced her to give them to Stan?

"I am glad that Staglore finally managed to convince you." He spoke to her. "Ever since the first day I have been saying to him that he should talk to you and convince you to present your stories, but you were always passing your stories to him because you were afraid that the public would not like seeing a fox presenting the news."

It was as if the world stopped, as Vicky took in what she had just heard.

Slowly, but surely, it was as if everything was falling into place…

_Stan… you bastard!_ She thought, barely preventing her lips of curling in a snarl, and the boss' voice called her back to reality.

"So, this story you got." He asked. "Is it a good one?"

She looked back at him, and all of sudden, she was feeling a lot more confident.

"Believe me…" She said, handing him the HD. "It is."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Just for you all to know, the next part of the story will be the same event divided in four chapters. There will be a lot of info-bombing. Hope you guys are up for it.**

**I just want to thank all of you for following and appreciating this story so far, and I hope you guys can continue to do so as I go on in writing it.**

**'Till next time.**


	16. The Interview - About Mages

_Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen._

**_Swinston Churchill_**

* * *

Zootopia was a city that busted with mammals, and these mammals all wanted to follow the news of what was going on.

Some of them wanted to know the latest developments of the recent craze that was going on about mages. Some of them wanted to know the latest information about the dealings of Paw Street. Some simply wanted to be on pair of all that was happening. But all of them wanted to know the news, and for that, Zootopia counted with its own source of information: the ZNN.

The ZNN was the Zootopia News Network. They were the main news channel of Zootopia, with news around the clock, special editions in the noble hours, and with their own websites that relayed all their programming and the things that they transmitted to the public. They truly were the main source of information of the public of Zootopia and even of other places and other states, once they were famous for their access to information, for their credibility, and for their efficiency in presenting the stories to the public.

From the trivial information of the day to the truly important happenings, the ZNN covered everything. Sometimes it even surprised its viewers with special news reports about truly remarkable news.

As it was intent on doing on that day.

On that day, a special story had been deliver by one of the reporters of the ZNN. A story that was deliver in secrecy, and was intent on being kept in secrecy until it was to be show on the noble hours of the same day.

It was a really good story, and only a few inside of the ZNN even knew that it existed, the reporter's boss, who had seen the story himself, and was… surprised, to say the very least.

He was quick to want to work to get the video on air yet on that day, and the reporter was fully supportive on it. He gathered some mammals, and let them know that there would be a special report on the place of the usual news report of that night. Of course, he made sure to keep the thing as hush-hush as possible, even from the other workers of the ZNN.

"Something like that should be a surprise." He said to them, and all of them agreed with him.

The ones who had direct access to the video also knew what it was about, and they were surprised as well, just like the two anchors that would be presenting the special news report. The other were left in the dark, as they were only told to be prepared for the news report.

The information was kept as secret as possible, and it only was revealed what it was about around one hour before the special report was to air, when a preview of the later news revealed that there was going to be a special news report, as well as the subject that it would be showing.

Once it came out, everyone was surprised.

The information of the special report and what it was about spread like fire through dry woods. Mammals kept sharing and re-sharing the information on said special report. They talked about it to each other via mouth-to-mouth, shared on MuzzleBook and other social medias, and overall shared the information within each other, causing everyone to look forward to the news.

Some of them even wondered if it was something real, once it was something that they surely were not expecting. Some even wondered if it was some kind of joke, or maybe some fake news. Some looked forward to it, wanting to see the news, while others seemed to be feeling outraged for such a thing going into the news.

However, what was sure was that, practically everyone in and out of Zootopia would be tuning on the ZNN to see it this was really all of that.

Effectively, at the time of the usual nightly report, around six pm, practically every one of the city was tuning in to watch that special news report.

One that would show a very special interview…

* * *

As the music of the opening came, the area was illuminate, and two mammals stood in there.

Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge were not on their usual scenery, sitting on their desk with a screen behind them. Instead, they were standing into what seemed to be a circular room, with a huge screen behind them. That scenery was reserve to the really important and urgent news reports. This was surely an important one, and the two mammals knew it full well, as they both stood in there with neutral expressions and their best clothes to present the news to who was seeing.

"Good night." Moosebridge said. "Tonight, instead of the usual news report, we will be presenting a story that has come into knowledge the ZNN earlier this day."

As he spoke, the camera shifted to Growley, who was with a serious expression in her face. "In the past months, Zootopia and the world have been facing a sudden change in their reality, as a website spread out videos that were said to reveal the existence of mages." She spoke to the camera. "These videos have gathered all kinds of reactions from mammals all around the world, which varied from interest to fear, and have led to many events sprouting from the information of these videos."

"Such reactions have mostly been stimulated by misinformation regarding the matter." Moosebridge said, as the camera shifted to him once more. "The insecurity and unsureness generated by the lack of clear information has stimulated the fear of mammals, inducing them to act based on said fear, once they didn't knew what to be sure of."

"Tonight, an information came into power of the ZNN, which has direct connection to all that is happening. An information that was brought to us by Victoria Vulpen, reporter of the ZNN."

"Such information is, in fact, an interview." Moosebridge said. "An interview with no other than a mage. This news report is dedicate to showing to Zootopia and the world this interview. Brought to you, straight by the ZNN."

As they said it, the two mammals turned to look at the great screen that was behind them. As they did, the image of that screen took hold of the screens of everyone who was seeing it...

* * *

"Okay, everyone ready?" Vicky asked, looking to her friends, and to the one she would be interviewing. Everyone was truly ready, and once it was, there was the countdown, as Vicky took a deep breath, and she steeled herself, readying to present the news that could possibly change her life and everyone else's.

_Okay… show time._

As soon as the camera was focus on her, she started to talk.

"Here is Victoria Vulpen, of the ZNN, on with an interesting interview brought to you by the Zootopia News Network." She said, and she stood right by the side of a familiar female ferret. "I'm here right now with a mage. Yes, a mage, believe it or not."

She turned to the ferret, and was now addressing her directly.

* * *

Even the ZPD seemed that they have stopped to see the news.

All of the officers had either excused themselves form their duties for the moment, or have found a way to go back to the station.

Even the most dedicated and workaholic of the officers had found themselves wanting to go to the station and find their ways to the recreation room, where there was a television, and look into the ZNN to see the "interview with a mage", as it had been announced an hour earlier.

Soon, there was a good number of officers into the room, looking at the television anxiously, wanting to see if the news were all that they were saying. Among them, there were two familiar bunny and fox cops, who looked as anxious to this as everyone else did.

Even Judy had somehow excused herself from work to see the news, and see that for herself. Nick felt somehow glad to have an excuse to drop out from writing reports, and he was now watching, along with his partner, to the groundbreaking news.

As they saw the one how was being interviewed, their eyes grew wide, as they recognized the ferret.

"_So, what is your name?_" The vixen asked, and the ferret answered:

"_Zillah Ferron, of the Ferron clan._"

"_How old are you?_"

"_Nineteen._"

* * *

"So, Ms. Ferron, are you really a mage?" Vicky asked, and the ferret looked back at her.

Soon, the ferret was reaching into her pocket for her lighter, and Vicky had a feeling that she knew what was coming now.

Zillah lighted the thing, producing a flame, and she moved a glowing paw near it.

She was chanting something as she moved her paw over the flame, causing it to move. Soon, the flames were around her paw, but not burning her. Her paw left the lighter, the flame still in it, and she still chanted the lines of whatever spell it was.

Soon, the flames in her paw were moving, and they formed the shape of a bird. Her flaming paw now had a bird of flames in it, flapping its wings and letting out sparks and smoke as it did.

Soon, the ferret was closing her paw, and as she did, the flames all were snuff out and the bird that had formed in her paw disappeared in a puff of sparks and smoke.

"Does this serves as answer?" Zillah asked to Vicky, who knew that it was rhetoric question.

Vicky herself could barely contain her amazement on what she had just saw, and she could only imagine what the ones seeing it would think…

* * *

"She _is_ a mage!" Bucky said, looking amazed at the screen. By his side, his husband was sitting and watching the news with him. Pronk had managed to get out of his work earlier, and he could come back home in time to see that special news report with Bucky.

"You don't know." He said, careful, "I mean, it could be fake?"

"What, like the videos from website?" Bucky asked, "Because I'm pretty sure these are legitimate, you said that yourself."

"Yeah, but this is different."

"Different how!?" Bucky said, "It is the ZNN, they would not joke over anything, especially over something like that!"

"Yeah, but they could be mistaken!" Pronk said, "I'm just saying that we can't believe in everything we see in tv! We are adults!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

"No, seriously, shut up! The news are still going!"

With this, the two ended their altercation were, once more, focused in the television and the news.

* * *

"So, Ms. Ferron…" Vicky said.

"Call me Zillah." The ferret said, and Vicky nodded at her.

"So, Zillah, as a mage, you certainly can give many answers to what is happening around, and to many doubts that mammals are having at the moment. Perhaps you could give us some of these answers."

"I'll give the answers that I can." Zillah said, "There is a lot of things that the world of mages have in it, and while I cannot tell you everything, I'll tell you what I can. But, bear in mind that I am still a mage myself, and as a mage, I am an individual who has secrets. There are questions that I won't answer, but I'll do my best to tell you what I can, as a mage."

Vicky nodded at it, doing her best to remain neutral and to focus on doing the interview.

"So, as for a question I have now… what is a mage?" Vicky asked, and this caused Zillah to look back at her. "I mean, we know that mages can do things like what you just did, but what truly is a mage? You just said that mages are beings of secrets. However, what does exactly it means to be a mage?"

Zillah spent a few moments looking at the vixen. As she did, she could not help but be amazed on how smart the vixen was for making a question like that. Well, since she made a question like this, Zillah needed to give an answer that was up to it, so she spend a few more moments thinking, and she chose her words carefully.

"To be a mage, means a lot of things." Zillah said to the fox, and to the camera that was recording her, held by the beagle. She could feel all the eyes of the five mammals in there, on her, and she knew that soon millions of other eyes would be on her, once the interview was show on television.

"More than being a practitioner of the mystic arts. More than being an individual who delves in the depths of mystery. Being a mage, means to adopt a set of beliefs and lifestyle." Zillah explained to her. "In order to be a mage, you have to act as a mage, which includes working into improving yourself, and refining and evolving your own studies of the mystic arts, treating them as an art that should be improved and perfected for the sake of doing so."

She looked at Vicky as she said that. "Being a mage means adopting these beliefs, and living by them, as to be a proper mage, an individual who can stand with pride and claim truly to be a proper scholar of the mystic arts. Otherwise, you are no mage, but a **spellcaster**."

Vicky looked at her.

"So, there is a difference between a mage and a spellcaster?" She asked, and she knew it was obvious, but it was something that was worth going into further detail for the public.

"A mage treats our craft with the proper respect, and they work into evolving it for the sake of itself, and they are individuals who devote the hours of their days, days of their years, and years of their lives into perfecting this art to its supreme form." Zillah explained to her. "A spellcaster is an individual who, even though has the same capacities as a mage, do not act as a proper mage. They don't have the right to be called mages. They have no interest in improving themselves or their craft, and they see it as nothing more than a useful tool to reach their goals. Many freelancers are classified as this."

"I'm sorry, 'freelancers'?" Vicky asked, and Zillah soon was filling her in.

"Another fact about mages is that we are loyal to our own lineages." She spoke to them. "One thing that mages do is preserving tradition, and this means that we value our family. In many points, we can be compared to the old and traditional families of the non-mages, what some people call 'posh' families, these royalties and noble lineages."

"A proper mage is someone who is loyal and dedicated to their family. Their loyalty belongs to the family above all else, and they carry on the legacy of their parents and pass this legacy down to their kits. The oldest or most talented one is in charge of carrying the legacy of the family, while the others are strategically married into other families, in order to bring advantages to the family in the long run, in political contracts and arrangements that will benefit the two parts. We are pretty old-fashioned in this. In many aspects, actually." Zillah said, and Vicky did notice a change in her expression, and she could not help but wonder if this subject that was just tackled was one that was sensitive to her. The ferret, however, did not allowed her to delve in this, and she, instead, continued with her explanation.

"A **freelancer** is someone who is looked down on the mage community, for many of them have turned their backs on their lineages, and instead, they have turned to money." She said, and she continued in it:

"Freelancers are individuals who are not fully affiliated to anyone, and they work to whoever pays them. Yes, they are _mercenaries_, selling their skills and their loyalty to whoever offers them money." Zillah said as she talked. "Freelancers are getting more common nowadays, as some families have been falling and losing their influence. This causes the mages who have either lost everything or willingly left everything behind to resort into working for others in return for their money."

"There are many subclasses to freelancers, just like there are to the mercenaries." Zillah continued to explain to the vixen. "There are these who work as soldiers in exchange for money, using the mystic art to fight. There are some who work as bodyguards, protecting their employers from harm, and even going so far as to eliminate those who try to harm them. And, of course, there are those who resort to killing for money, hitmammals that use supernatural means to eliminate targets in exchange for payment. These last ones are particularly feared and looked down upon by the Association and by the mage community at large."

* * *

The news were not only being transmitted through the live television, but they had also been made available through the internet. It was possible to watch it in real time from anywhere in the world with any equipment that could access internet, as some individuals were doing.

They were all dressing military-style clothing, including protective vests and some of them even had weapons in them, like actual guns and blades. One of them, in particular, a bulky rhino with a scar on the side of his face, was playing with a military knife as he looked at the image of the iPaw that was being held by another mammal. This one was a bulky wolf with dark-gray fur on his body, with lighter gray on his muzzle, down his neck and chest. His arms were thick with muscle, but he had a prominent muscle-gut, being quite big a wolf. He was wearing a green military vest (barely big enough to cover his prominent belly), a pair of camouflage pants, and even a pair of military boots, the kind used by the military due to the greater hazards that the military life. He was smoking a cigar as his silvery eyes were focused on the screen of the iPaw as he puffed out clouds of cigar smoke.

"Wow! They have mercenaries as well!" Said a big horse who was near.

"Yeah, I guess we can all agree that we are not the only idiots who will do things like that for money." The wolf said, tapping out the excess ash from his cigar as he had a smirk. "Guess it truly is an universal thing."

"How have we never heard of something like that?" The rhino asked. "I mean, we have been around a while and we have got into some pretty nasty jobs, how we have never crossed paths with one of these 'freelancers' before?"

"Maybe they are careful?" Said a bear.

"Maybe they only work for other mages, and in subjects that only interest mages." Said a lion in camouflage jacket. "They probably have no need to get involved into the needs of mere mortals like us."

Many actually agreed with this, and the wolf who was holding the iPaw could only chuckle. He could not help but wonder just how interesting the world seemed to have been turning in the past months…

* * *

"So, being a mage involves a whole set of beliefs and morals, it seems." Vick said.

"Yeah, you could say so." Zillah said, "Mages have this thing of being conservative. While the world around us changes, we try to keep up with it, but we also work hard into preserving our own values and traditions." She paused for a while, and she let out a small chuckle. "I mean, it is the reason why we don't like technology."

"Oh?" Vicky said, and the ferret turned back to her.

"Technology is a product of the modern world." She explained to her. "Something that comes forward in attempts to replace the mystery by something that can be understood and used by the non-mages." She spoke, almost as if she was saying something that she got from a memorized speech.

"What can be achieved through mundane means is merely an imitation of something that has been made by supernatural means for a long time. It is something that merely hopes to imitate our means, and all of it will always be inferior to our craft." Zillah said, and once she finished, she once more looked at Vicky.

"This is something that I heard my father say a lot of times, and my father was an 'example of a proper mage', so to speak." She said to her. "He was very attached to traditions, like mages are supposed to, and this included looking down on all modern technology."

"So, mages have a natural disliking for technology?"

"Yeah, it's a cultural thing." She admitted to her. "I guess it is more of our own ego, that prevents the oldest mages of accepting the idea that technology could replace the supernatural so readily. As a result, most mages refuse to learn about technology unless it is absolutely necessary. While my father was alive, technology was strictly forbidden inside our home, even the servants could not bring anything." She admitted. "I was a teenager who never had a computer or a cellphone, can you believe it?"

Indeed, it sounded hard to believe, in today's society, that someone would be a teenager and grow up without a cellphone, and without any technology whatsoever. It seemed that mages had a disliking for modern things, from all that she was hearing right now.

"So, most mages avoid technology, if possible? Is that what you are saying?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Zillah said, "More because of pride and stubbornness than anything else, if you ask me. They don't have televisions, they don't own cellphones, they don't use coffee machines or fax machines. They just to learn how to operate them unless they absolutely have to, and when they have to use them for the first time they cannot operate them properly…"

She stopped talking for a few moments, and she let out a chuckle. "I guess that could actually be a way of helping identify a mage… see if they have problem to deal with technology…"

* * *

As the special news report continued to be transmitted live for everyone into the city and in other places, it was transmitted in virtually all of the televisions of the city, including the televisions available at the local BugBurga fast-food establishments. In one on particular, a lot of mammals had stopped to look at the television.

The mammals all had their eyes turned to the television on the side of the place. Someone even had upped the volume for them to better listen what was being said.

Many mammals were still eating, but the attention was mostly focus on the television. Some trails with food and cups were left forgotten, some of them even had fallen to the ground, but no one seemed like they had noticed, as both the patrons and employees of the place had seemingly forgotten everything as they watched, until the point when the weasel made that comment…

"Damnit!" This cry called their attention, making them look at its source: a donkey who had just walked in and was trying to use his cellphone, and seemingly having problems with it.

"No. No! You worthless thing!" He said, as he tapped (actually, almost punched) the screen of the phone, threatening to break it, before he got really mad.

"Stupid technology!" He said as she tossed the thing in the trash, turning back into the establishment, only to find that now everyone in there was staring at him as if he's got three heads.

The donkey looked around, at all those eyes staring right at him.

"What?"

* * *

"Well, it does sound interesting…" Vicky said, "And, sorry, I could not help but notice that you talked about 'servants'. So, mages often have servants working for them? As butlers and cooks?" She asked, and once more Zillah was amazed with her attention to the details, the vixen seemed like she let nothing slide past her.

"Another trait of mages, is that we dedicate ourselves to our craft from body and soul." She spoke to the vixen, making sure that her words would come out clear and not be misinterpreted. Anything misunderstanding could easily be catastrophic in a situation like that.

"Like I said, we dedicate hours of our days into our craft, most of it is done in research and studies." She explained to her. "In order to perfect and improve our art, we need to dedicate ourselves to it fully, it is a time consuming process that will demand our full attention, and it will eventually prevent us from performing other trivial tasks, like cleaning and cooking, sometimes mages even neglect their basic survival needs in order to continue with their researches."

"So, in order to fully focus in their own work, and to not have to worry themselves with 'menial tasks', mages will often have someone else perform these for them." She said, and she made a gesture to someone outside of the camera, soon, a creature readily asked to her call, as a big Kori bustard bird walked in view of the camera.

"Some have familiars, like I have Cory, here." She said, as she petted the head of the bird. "They are creatures that we either create or modify with mystic arts in order to cause them to become our loyal and devoted servants. They perform tasks for us, like cleaning and bringing us food. Some mages even summon creatures to be familiars and do things for them." She said to the camera. "However, sometimes they don't have familiars, as some mages chose either to arrange non-mages as their subordinates in order to take care of the places, or either do it themselves."

"Oh, so mage don't have other mages as their servants?"

"Yeah, right." Zillah scoffed, but she quickly recomposed herself, not wanting to risk passing the wrong impression to the camera. "Mages don't willingly submit themselves to other mages. We are far too prideful for this. Of course, many mage families make deals with each other, but only if these are mutually beneficial, sometimes they even agree to work for each other in exchange of payment, but a mage family would never submit themselves so deeply to another family to the point of being their servants. That is seen as disgraceful in our society, and most families would never become desperate enough to do such a thing."

"But, hiring non-mages to work for us as our servants, well that's another thing." Zillah said, continuing her explanations. "As a matter of fact, ever since I was a kit, my family always had a few servants working for us."

"Oh, I see." Vicky said, "They were well treated, right?"

Zillah got a little tense at this, but she could suppress it. Now was not the time of letting her expression falter.

"Well, they received all of the benefits that jobs usually held. They had vacation time, they got paid good salaries, and they even received some money for when they were on sick leave… but, well, my father was not exactly a good boss for them."

There was a silence, and Zillah continued. "I have been trying to be very different from my father. I do treat our servants a lot better than he did, and I'm pretty sure that they think like that too. After all, I never truly listened to the stupid things my father used to say." She said, sounding a bit resentful.

"'We don't need to be nice to those mundanes, they should be honored of serving a mage family'." She spoke, obviously quoting someone else. Obviously, her father. "Like I would listen to this…"

There was a brief silence, and Vicky couldn't help but ask:

"This term you just used… 'mundanes'… is it a way that mages refer to non-mages?"

There was a long silence, and this time it was easy to say by Zillah's expression that she did not liked that theme in particular. Still, the ferret soon was speaking, wanting to clear off any possible misunderstanding.

"It is a slang, so to say." She spoke to her. "It became quite popular during the time my grandfather was a kit. It is actually a derogatory term."

She looked at Vicky as she continued to explain.

"It is a form of referring to those who don't practice our art, the non-mages. I never liked it, it is disrespectful and of poor taste. Calling a non-mage a 'mundane' would be… well, I guess you can compare it to calling a prey a 'grazer', or to calling a predator a 'chomper'."

Vick remained silent as she let the ferret do the talking.

"The idea, is to talk about those who can't do the things we do as if they are inferior to us. Well, I guess it is hard to not feel superior to others when you can create a fireball from your fingertips while they can't, but still…" She said, and she reflected on her next words, before speaking:

"It is a term that talks about non-mages as if they were less meaningful, like they aren't worth our attention or time. Those who don't have our skills. Those who have nothing of special or interesting about them." Zillah made another pause.

"Those who are mundane…"

A silence followed these words, as all the mammals who listened to this had time to reflect on them and realize that they were, indeed, derogatory.

"It is not something polite to say." Zillah concluded. "It is not something that you should expect to see in an official document of the Association, or hear in a sophisticated conversation."

Vicky knew that now it was time to move on to another subject.

"So, you have spoken of 'beliefs' in what it comes to mages." She said, wanting to avert the subject that was clearly not doing well to the ferret. "Does it includes religious beliefs?" She asked, and this caused the ferret to look up at her.

"I mean, do mages have a particular religion?" She developed the question. "Do mages worship a particular deity over the others? Or they have a deity of their own?"

Zillah looked at her, she pondered on how to answer this, and decided to do so in the most direct way she could:

"Well, in old times, it was common for mages to have altars in their homes for certain deities." She spoke to her, being professional and objective. "It was because in old times, there was the belief that deities and similar entities could grant us great powers. It was common for mages to pay their tributes to the old gods, as way of increasing their spirituality and to gain more power and knowledge."

She then made a dismissing gesture with her paw. "But, we don't do this anymore. Nowadays there is no point into worshipping the old gods, according to most mages."

"The times have changed all around. In the past, we took power as coming from a higher source, nowadays, we acquire power through study and pedigree. Instead of spending our time worshipping an entity and asking for more power, we dedicate ourselves to study and acquire power by our own means."

She was silent for a few moments, and she scoffed a bit.

"I remember how my father was with it. He used to say that having faith in any religion was pointless and a waste of time…" The memory was not a found one, like most of the memories of her father, and she decided to just push it aside.

"Of course, each mammal is different." She spoke to the reporter. "Some mages do have a certain faith or another. Some are devoted Christians, while others choose to be practitioners of Orthodox Judaism. Still, I think it is safe to say that most mages don't really have a religion. They don't really see a point in it…"

Vicky nodded at this explanation, and she decided to move further.

"So, from what I'm listening to you, it seems that mages each have their own personal set of beliefs." Vicky said. "Which is comprehensible, once we are talking of mammals that differ from each other. Now, I must ask you, these beliefs and lifestyles that mages chose, they are something that is truly universal to them? Something that goes beyond species?"

"All mages follow around the same set of beliefs and lifestyle." Zillah answered. "I mean, the ones who can be called 'proper mages', otherwise they would not deserve to be called so."

"Either you are a mouse or an elephant, if you are a mage, you will be expected to act as one." She said to them, "If you are either a predator or a prey, you will be expected to chase the ideals of mages with the very same passion and determination." She explained, "Either you are a weasel or a lion, you will be expected to be just as honored and prideful as a mage."

She made a pause after this, and she added:

"Of course, a lion _will_ receive more respect than a weasel… or a ferret, for that matter."

"Oh." Vicky said, looking at her. "So, mages do have species-based prejudices?"

"It is a thing you cannot truly escape from." Zillah continued. "This is the kind of exists even among mages. Actually, it can be said that is actually more present among mages than on non-mages. You know, because mages tend to be old-fashioned and attached to traditions, and this makes them more conservative in certain aspects."

She looked away, and she sighed. "The idea that bunnies are small and helpless, that foxes are shifty and cunning, that weasels and ferrets are sneaky and thievery… all of these believes are present among mages, and they do make it harder to achieve anything." She explained.

"I grew up knowing that most mages would mistrust me because of my species, that they would consider me less than them because I was born a ferret, and that I have a smaller and weaker body. All of these things are things that mages take as truth, especially the older ones."

"Of course, you can rise above their prejudices and their bigotry if you are really good. After all, even bigotry cannot overcome talent and influence, that's for sure." She explained, "But still, you will always have to live with others thinking something of you because of your species, once most of the old-time mages don't let go of their ways easily. Also, not to mention how elitist mages are, and envious some can be when someone is better than them…"

Vicky remained silent after the weasel said this, as she took in the news.

_So, mages got that as well…_ She thought, as she was quite familiar with what Zillah was describing. She too had to keep up with prejudices while she was attending to her college. She did graduated among the best of her class, and that served to cause her to be target of envy from many of her classmates.

She could truly sympathize with the ferret girl.

"I see… well, that is a lot of information on the culture of mages." Vicky spoke, after shaking away the feelings she had just now and focused into making a good interview. "I am hearing some quite interesting things in this and I have to say, some of it is actually quite familiar…"

Zillah turned her eyes to look at her. "Well, the way you talk about the pride of mages, and about the way they attach themselves to the traditions, having nobility and being loyal to their lineages above all else. Well, it seems to me that, like you said, it really take a lot of similarities to the posh families, that are commonly called 'old money families'."

Zillah looked at her, and she was able to smile at this.

"Yeah, you are really right." She spoke to the vixen, and Vicky looked back at her.

"With all that I hear about the 'old money families' around the non-mage communities and media, I cannot help but think on how similar they actually are to the mage families, especially the older ones." She spoke, and leaned back, a paw resting on the head of the creature that was still by her side, making the big bird lean its head closer to her.

"They are really prideful of their heritage, and of all that they have built. The same way, they make sure to build something that they will leave on for the future generations." She explained, looking to be quite entertained with the thought.

"They are proud of their lineages, and they are very careful with who they relate with, even more with who they allow to enter their family." She explained. "They don't allow just anyone to marry their children, and they will often do it in arranged, political marriages with other noble families, making sure to have the best deals and also the best material to produce their descendants. They are really proud of their pedigree"

"They are individuals that will often have their own deal of influence in the place where they came from." She said, looking up, seemingly distracted as she spoke of that. "They have come from long lineages that have built their name over a place, and that have gathered a great deal of political power and fortune, sometimes through dubious means."

She sighed, and she once more looked back at the vixen, who was looking intently at her.

"And, of course, they spend an awful lot of time in their political dances."

"Oh?" Vicky said, and before she could aske further, the ferret decided to continue by herself in this.

"There are a lot of political plots and dances going on among mages." She explained to the vixen, not feeling any problem in looking about this. After all, she _had_ decided to tell everything. Well, everything she could. "Mages have a lot of personal biases, personal goals and ambitions, which sometimes do surpass the common sense of what a mage should focus on."

"In theory, mages should be dedicated to their researches and to improving their craft and themselves, for nothing more than the shake of doing so. They should look for the truth with no other goal but knowing it. They should see our craft as a noble art that they should respect and refine for nothing more than the pride and the gratification for knowing that they are improving it." Zillah spoke, and she continued:

"But, on reality, mages in general, especially those of the Association, are often involved in all kinds of political disputes and plots. Mages are often striking deals with other families, with arranged marriages, for instance, to bring more advantages to their own families. They get involved into petty power struggles with the goal of not only favoring themselves, but also of sabotaging their rivals."

"Yes, mages can be quite envious of each other. I can tell you many stories that are of mages that find a way or another to sabotage other mages. They invade their homes, trash their workshops, destroy or even steal their researches, all with the goal of preventing them from advancing more than themselves." Zillah spoke, "And these are the oldest and noblest families, for the younger ones, like mine, often get involved in hopes of growing in prestige themselves, as we try to follow the bigger ones and to find ways to make ourselves grow and become more powerful. My dad made sure that I should do my best to achieve this if possible…"

The way that Zillah Ferron spoke, made it seem that she had a deal of experience with this kind of thing, and she seemed some contempt towards the entire thing. "Yeah, the noble and wise mages can be quite petty when they want to, and there are a lot of situations in which they want to be petty. Some of them even go as far as to resort to assassination, if half the rumors I heard are truth…"

* * *

The interview was being seen all over, including in the poorest parts. As it was the case in an old and rundown bar in a poor area. The place was dirty and had rundown walls and counters. The place was the kind where you would go for a cheap drink, and it had a peculiar smell on it, which the patrons in there were willing to ignore, once some of them were part of the source of the smell.

Most of the mammals in there were of species like weasels, foxes, hyenas, there were even some smaller tables where a number of rats gathered. They all were looking at the television that was set in the wall behind the counter. The image was with a lot of static, and the audio coming out form it was not the better. Still, it was perfectly possible to see the interview and to clearly know what it was being said.

"Hear that, guys?" Said a big boar, his cloths tattered, and he had a certain smell to himself. "These mages are just like these rich families who think of themselves as better than everyone!"

A lot of the mammals in there seemed to agree with him. Most of them were from species that were often looked down by society. They were from poorer families, marginalized by the society, and some of them did had some actual experience with these richer, 'nobler' families of snotty brats, and they did held some anger towards them.

While some were more vocal on their anger, others were a bit more discreet, as they resorted to silent hatred over these individuals. Among them, there was a particular mammal, a rat, who was sitting in a small table, sipping some cheap scotch from a dirty glass, as his eyes were focus on the screen, attentive to what the ferret girl would say next…

* * *

Vicky had been taking in all that the ferret was saying, and as she spoke, the reporter could not help but hold on to something that the ferret had just said:

"Assassination?" Vicky asked, and she could not help but sound at least a tad bit alarmed by that. "You mean that mages actually resort to murder to achieve their goals?"

Zillah felt like kicking herself for talking a bit more than she should. This was the kind of thing that could lead to this whole thing actually making things even worse than they already were. However, the ferret was able to keep her cool, for she knew that this could still be salvaged…

"These are only rumors." She explained. "Things that you can hear around there, as someone claims to have known a guy who was killed by a rival, or someone who killed a family by setting their house on fire. Of course it is not proved." She assured her. "If it was, the enforcers would have acted on it already."

Vicky looked at her.

"And, the 'enforcers' are..?"

"They are the peace keepers of the Association." She said to her. "They are the ones who work by upholding our laws and chasing and punishing the criminals who do this kind of thing. You can say that they are our police force."

"Oh, I see." Vicky said, and she couldn't help but ask. "So, this means that mages have rules against killing, right?"

Zillah looked at her, and she then said:

"We have now, but it wasn't always like this."

There was a brief silence, as the ferret sighed, and she continued:

"Up until a few centuries ago, mages could do nearly anything they wanted. The assassinations, plots, lies and thefts were high on that time." She said to her, as if she was narrating something that she read from an old book. "It was really bad, you see. If you had enough power, you could get rid of anyone who was on your way. Either if it was a smaller family of mages who was bothering you, to some non-mages who had witnessed the supernatural and were threatening to expose you, you had the freedom to do whatever you wanted. You could use your resources to ruin their lives by destroying their possessions and everything they had. You could hire someone to 'dispose' of them for you, or do it yourself. Also, you could simply make them… 'disappear'. Mages could easily get away with murder."

There was a heavy silence following these words, as the animals hearing this took in the news that the ferret was giving. They were hoping that she was going to continue, and say that things were not like that anymore, and indeed:

"Mages were used to do as they pleased in that regard, as they were used to look for more power and more knowledge, while they distanced themselves from morals." Zillah said, "But all of that changed around three hundred years ago, when an influent family of mages stepped forward."

"That family was dissatisfied with the ways that mages acted. They were famous for their righteousness and for their morals, and they were not satisfied with the way that mages were acting. They did not appreciated the cruelty and ruthlessness of mages in general, as they were turning less mammals and more monsters."

"The more important mages of this family gathered and they debated, and in this debate, they gathered their many dissatisfactions within the behavior of mages, and they gathered them in the form of a compendium of laws and regulations that should be followed. This was the birth of the **New Mage Codex**." She explained to them.

"Once the Codex was ready, they took to the greatest authorities of the association, presenting it to them as a new set of rules to bring forth morality and ethics into the works of mages." She spoke, looking at Vicky as she explained that, seeing her reactions. "I also read that they presented an argument as they gave it to the Association: '_You prideful and honored mages who kill those around you and destroying everything that you consider to be in your way, until eventually destroying yourselves, writing your legacies with blood and building your foundations over piles of corpses, consider yourselves so noble? You do that, and you consider yourselves smart, with your savagery and hubris? Then let us ask: you who act so barbaric in order to reach your goals, what makes you different from beasts? What is the point of reaching the perfection and learning the great truths of the universe, if when we reach the ultimate goal we will no longer be acting like reasonable mammals?_'"

"Now, either if it was purely the argument they used, or also the influence that the family had, it is hard to say. What we know for sure is that the Codex was accepted by the Association, and transmitted down to all of the mages within its reach. From that point on, mammals could no longer act as they pleased, as the Codex brought forth limitations for their actions, bringing moral to how the mages were supposed to act."

"So, with the coming of the 'Codex', now mages follow a set of rules, right?" Vicky asked. "Now, are those laws similar to our own?"

"Oh, they are." Zillah said to her. "The Codex was based on old writings, like the Code of Hammurabi, but it also was inspired in the same rules that non-mages created. Stealing and destroying property are forbidden, and they often get you labelled as a petty criminal in our community, and they bring forth punishments. Also, many other things that were taken as normal back in the day are now considered serious crimes, like using innocent mammals as test subjects on experiments. Also, the most important is that now the act of murder is a heinous crime, either if it is murdering a mammal directly for personal reasons, or killing a mammal as a sacrifice for a ritual. The act of taking a life is a crime that is worth of a serious punishment in our world, and the Enforcers will ensure that the responsible is captured and answer for their crime."

Vicky nodded as Zillah spoke that.

"So, mages don't eliminate witnesses, right?" Vick asked her. "We don't have to look back on the mammals who turned out missing or who had mysterious deaths to see if they were victims of mages?" She asked, trying to keep a playful tune, but her question still carried a hint of genuine worry.

"We used to back then." Zillah answered. "But now, we resort to hypnotizing them to make them forget what they saw. And before you can ask, yes, we _can_ hypnotize. We use it to make the witnesses forget what they have seen. It _is_ a better resort than killing, don't you agree."

"Oh, it surely is." Vicky was forced to agree. There were more questions following this, but she decided to focus on that specific subject, once it was still worth talking, and she still had a question or two about that. "However, I must ask, what if the witnesses cannot be hypnotized? What if it is not possible to simply make them forget what they saw and move on with their lives? Then would you resort to other means?"

Zillah stopped for a moment, as if she was reflecting on what to say, and she continued:

"Sometimes, there is someone who saw something and talked before they could have their memories altered." She spoke. "Of course, it can represent problems to us. That is why we resort to discredit them."

"If someone was to see something and describe the things they saw, we did our best to try to cover up the evidence and to make the mammal who is speaking sound like they talking nonsense." Zillah explained. "Of course, sometimes it can have the effect of making the mammal acquire the fame of being insane, but it is a price we were willing to pay in order to keep the supernatural a secret. Honestly, I don't think it was very hard, actually."

She looked at the vixen, as she spoke:

* * *

Most of the officers of the Precinct 1 of the ZPD were reuniting in the recreation room to watch to the interview. However, there was one that was not in there, as he had his own office, and his own television to watch.

Chief Bogo was on his office, looking after his many duties as the police chief when he heard news on the interview that was going to be show on the ZNN.

Now, one week ago he would have dismissed it as more nonsense. However, after what he witnesses on that night, he felt more inclined to hear it out, whatever it was.

He had been reevaluating most of the things he had before been sure since that night.

Not wanting to leave his office, Bogo instead resorted to the small television that he kept in there. It was small, not the best in terms of sound and image, but it was still a television, and he was able to see the ZNN in it, to watch the interview.

What wasn't his surprise when he saw no other than the same ferret of that night, talking in television about mages and all of that stuff.

He heard very intently to all that she said. He got nervous when she talked on how mages resorted to killing. He felt relieved and admired when he heard that they had their own police and laws (well, he kind of heard that already, from the mouth of the very same ferret that was on television now). Most of all, he heard when she talked about the way they discredited mammals who had witnessed their doings.

"_Nowadays, mammals are actually much more inclined to dismiss people who say that magic is real as being lunatics._" The ferret said on television. "_The fact that everybody until very recently dismissed the supernatural as false and that anyone who says the opposite is considered deranged is a proof of our ability to hide and keep supernatural a secret._"

Bogo felt a tightening on his chest as he heard that, his mind on another certain mammal…

* * *

"I know that make others seen crazy might be radical, and even a little cruel." Zillah said soon after. "But it is still a better option than murder. It is not like in the old days, when mages could do whatever they wanted, as long as they didn't risked exposing the secrecy of the supernatural."

Vicky took it all in, nodding at her. It all made a lot of sense.

"I see. Well, I guess I can see the reasoning behind all that you have said until now." She spoke to the ferret, and then she said:

"Still, this leaves one question: how the supernatural came to be a secret?"

Zillah looked up to look at Vicky, as the vixen continued:

"I mean, there was a time when the existence of magic was considered something real, accepted by most of the population as a fact. How come it became a secret, and considered by many as fake until recent events?"

Zillah could not help but be admired on how the questions that the vixen asked were smart. She knew she had to answer that, and that it was an important thing to answer so everyone who saw it to understand what was happening. So, she put herself to explain:

"It was around a thousand years ago." Zillah said, "During the middle ages, when mages saw that they were having a lot of trouble due to their craft being common knowledge. They saw that this was working against them. So, the heads of the Association came up with an idea: to convince the world that the supernatural was not real."

"Their reasoning was: '_The idea of the supernatural is one that brings trouble to those who are not part of it. They suffer and mistrust each other, and live in fear for knowing that the world is full of things that they cannot truly explain or understand. This leads them to turn on us, as we see our doings threatened, and the possibility of all that we work for being lost. So, let us ease their minds by turning it into nothing more than a fantasy. Let the world forget our existence, may mages be remembered as nothing more than a dream._'" She finished, and she stopped for a moment to sigh.

"They say that the greatest trick of the devil was convincing the world that he did not existed, but that is not entirely true." Zillah said, and she could actually smile at this "It were mages who did that trick."

"It took generations of preparation and effort. It was hard at first, but with each passing generation, it was possible to consolidate more and more the idea that the supernatural was not real. With each passing generation, the doubt was increased, and soon, it became a certainty. The lie was repeated so many times, in so many ways, with so many different speeches backing it up, that it ended up becoming a reality: mages don't exist."

Zillah stopped a little more.

"Yeah, we really did got everyone in that." She said, more as if she was musing to herself than explaining to someone else. Soon, however, she was once more focused into explaining to Vicky and the camera.

"Still, it only worked for a few centuries, didn't it?" She said, "Well, I guess it was a good plan, but not meant to last. We didn't really expected so much evidence to be piled up against us with such speed and power."

Vicky nodded at this.

"Well, I guess you can say so." The vixen said. "I guess even mages have their limits, even with their magic."

Another brief silence, before Zillah spoke:

"Magecraft."

"Excuse me?" Vicky asked, and the ferret was looking at her.

"It is not _magic_, Ms. Vulpen. It is **magecraft**. It is not the same…"


	17. The Interview - Magecraft and Magic

_There is something cheap about magic that works just because it is magic.__  
_

**_~Richard Doekins_**

* * *

Zootopia had stopped, as it was now looking at the interview.

Mammals of the city now were stopping and focusing their attention in each screen that they could to be able to see what the ZNN was showing, as every screen available was now changing to that channel.

Well, most of them.

A teenage leopard just busted through the door, looking around as he tossed his backpack to the rack as he nearly busted into the living room.

"Is it on!? They are still talking!? Did I lost anything?"

The leopards in the living room just looked at him, as the two adults and two girl cubs stared back at him, none of them saying a word.

"So… how was school?" The adult female asked, and the teenager insisted:

"So, what have they said!?" He spoke in an urgent tone. "It was something important!?"

"Oh, it was!" One of the girl cubs answered. "Princess Celestina just gave a speech to Glimmering Aurora."

"What?" The leopard said, and looked at the television.

"You are watching _Our Mini Ostriches_!?"

"Yeah, it is the new movie!" The other girl cub said.

"Your sisters have been wanting to watch it for a while". The other adult said. "So, we decided to rent and watch it today."

"And you guys are watching it in place of the interview!?" The teenager said in exasperation. This caused the adults to look at him.

"Interview? What interview?"

"Seriously!?" The teenager said, looking at them as if they had five heads each. "You don't know about the interview!? In what planet do you guys live!?"

"Okay, what is with the attitude, young mammal?" One of the adults said, not losing her patience. However, the teenage seemed to ignore them, and he just reached out for the remote.

"Look, you guys can watch this later! We need to put in the ZNN!" The teenager said, quickly changing the channel, causing protests from the two girls. "They are showing an interview with a mage! A _real_ mage!"

Soon, the television was now in the ZNN, and they were right in time to see the interview.

"No one says a word!" The teenager said as he sat on the ground in front of the television, and the family just remained frozen in place as they now saw the interview that they had previously been unaware of…

_"It is not _magic_, Ms. Vupen. It is **magecraft**. It is not the same…" _The ferret said to the vixen.

* * *

"… You can't just go calling magecraft magic, just like you can't refer to magic as mere magecraft." Zillah said, and it seemed that she was explaining something really important to the other one. Vicky took it high in consideration before making her next commentary.

"Right, I'm sorry." She said, and Zillah looked back at her, sighing.

"Is okay. You had no way of knowing." She explained to the vixen. "Is just that the difference is very important. Every mage worth their magecraft knows it."

"Yeah, but the non-mages like me are not familiar with it." Vicky said, noting an obvious fact. "So, would you mind explaining?" She asked, and she hoped that the answer would be yes. And of course it was, for Zillah had already decided to explain what she could in that interview, and this was among the things that she actually could explain.

"Magecraft is what mages do." She explained to the vixen. "It is also referred to as **thaumaturgy**, or even as **magic science**. It is an artificial reenactment of events that would otherwise be impossible for mammals to perform."

"To be more precise, magecraft is the act of bringing forth events through supernatural means. However, these events are not impossible in themselves. Magecraft would be the capacity of using a supernatural mean to bring into existence something that could happen in the world naturally. For instance…"

As Zillah said that, once more she flicked the lighter she had in her paw, producing a small flame. She then took her paw to it, and the flame reacted as she chanted a line. Soon, the flame grew and produced tendrils of flame.

"This is an example. I'm doing that by changing the temperature around the flames, as well as affecting the way it reacts with the oxygen of the air, allowing it to consume the oxygen more steadily, and allowing it to grow and move according to my will. Also…"

Soon something else started to happen, the tendrils of flame started to fade, and the flames disappeared from the lighter, and they looked like they were being sucked into each tip of the tendrils, and soon, all that was left in there were brightly glowing sparks.

"…I can condense the heat and combustion of the flames into a single spot, generating sparks of flame that are extremely hot and volatile, once they have a big combustion process focused into a small point."

She spoke, and soon, the sparks started to move around her, in circles.

"The same way I controlled the flames themselves, I can control the sparks by influencing the temperature around them, and causing them to move in certain directions by causing the heat to drive them in a specific direction. Also, since the sparks are made by compacting a combustion into a very small space, they are highly volatile, and I can take advantage by this by increasing the volatile properties so they will react violently upon an impact, resulting into an explosion. Or…"

As she spoke that, the sparks stopped in the air, and soon, they vanished.

"… I can just make them disappear the way that sparks do, by letting the heat that forms them be dissipated into the air, ending the combustion in them and snuffing out the flames."

Zillah turned back to Vicky, who had watched in silent awe to the demonstration of "magecraft" that the ferret just gave to her.

"Amazing." Vicky said, once the ferret girl seemed to be done.

"Yeah, I'm sure it seems awesome, but is just a series of events that were made possible through the use of a supernatural mean." Zillah continued to explain. "This type of spell I just used is actually considered very basic, and it is an offensive spell that many mages can learn and master rather easily."

"Well, it is still impressive." Vicky said to her. "Also, I am amazed about how you explained how it works. It sounded so… scientific."

Zillah smiled at her. "Yeah, I know it did. After all, magecraft works by bringing forth natural events through a supernatural mean." She explained.

"It could have been made by other, non-supernatural means, but it would be a lot harder. There is a theory that says that all that can be achieve by magecraft could also be achieve by science, once it gets advanced enough. Of course, many mages look down on that theory, but it does make sense once you think that mages had, for a long time, been able to communicate with each other over long distances, and it became possible for everyone once Graham Baah invented the telephone."

"It demonstrates that magecraft, although powerful, is still limited by the natural laws. The laws of physics and chemistry can, many times, interfere directly with the result of a spell." Zillah explained. "Also, it makes clear that magecraft cannot do the impossible. I mean, it is not possible to force time to travel ten years into the past, since this would not be something that would happen in the natural world, just like it is not possible to cause someone who died three years ago to just get back on their feet and resume their lives. That cannot be done." Zillah explained to her.

"Well, it does makes a lot of sense." Vicky explained to her. "It seems that magecraft almost seems like it is really a form of science, although it is a curious science. It is especially true in the way you described that spell works. It seems that there is a whole process for the spell to take place."

"All spells and rituals have processes in them." She said to the vixen. "That is another thing about magecraft, it cannot simply 'make' things happen. You cannot just will something to happen and it will happen in a blink of an eye. It is tied to the natural laws of the world, limited by them, so it can only happen through a certain process. For instance, to create a flame, you cannot just mentalize a flame to appear out of thin air. You need to offer a process for it to happen, for instance, by inducing a flame to appear in the air through the chemical reactions of the elements in the air, or by increasing the temperature of a specific spot while increasing the combustion rate of the oxygen so you can cause a flame to be produce and maintained. You see, magecraft needs a logical process to work; it needs a logic and concrete method through which the desired event will be achieve. Of course, the way that the event begins is purely supernatural, almost a miracle, but the result is far from being a miracle, as it is a mere reproduction of an event that can happen naturally in the world, like chemical reactions or combustion through temperature. That is true, no matter what foundation you use."

"I see, and by 'foundation' you mean the specific process that happens, be it physics or chemistry?" Vicky asked, and Zillah still was amazed at how attentive the vixen was to details, and how good at she was for looking for answers with smart questions.

"Actually, by 'foundation', I mean '**Thaumaturgical Foundations**', also referred to as **thaumaturgical theories, branches or schools**. They are a set of rules that can be followed to achieve spells and rituals." Zillah explained.

"Oh, so, you mean there are specific rules that dictate what can be done through magecraft? The means that can be used to achieve the performing of spells and rituals?"

"Of course." Zillah said in answer to Vicky's question. "There are laws of physics that dictate what can be achieved through science. Magecraft also has a set of established rules through which the spells can be achieve. There are a number of schools out there; there is Astrology, Kabbalah, Alchemy, just to name a few. Each school is different, however, they are all methods through which one can achieve spells and produce magecraft through an established set of rules in a way… well, I guess a good way of comparing it would be comparing to the way a computer works."

"A computer works with a command being send to the system, which them causes a program to be executed. In magecraft, the order of the will of the mage takes the place of the 'command', with the specific foundation being the 'system' to which the command is sent, and finally, it causes a pre-established phenomenon to be executed, and this is the 'program' that happens. Basically, it is a series of rules that are already there, and that one must learn and dominate to be able to perform magecraft.

"You see, this is why we spend a long time studying and researching, so we can better dominate those rules. Just like scientists do their research and study to understand and dominate the natural rules that make science be possible, so must mages study so they can dominate the rules or even discover new rules that allows them to perform spells. This is something that all mages should dedicate themselves, as they expand the horizons of the knowledge of magecraft and expand what can be achieved through it."

"Wow…" Was all that Vicky was able to say with the explanation that the ferret just gave. Of course, as a good reporter, she soon was able to find more words to say:

"So, it really seems that mages are actually closer to scientists than the exoteric individuals that often appear in fiction." She said to her, and she could not help but ask:

"So, a foundation can be used by anyone? Anyone who wants to study it will be able to perform magecraft?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." Zillah said with a smile. "And it would make things a lot easier… No, it is not anyone that can do magecraft." She said to the vixen. "It is not anyone who can go around and start to study magecraft. It is like the computer again. There is the command, the system, and the program. However, to start it all, to start the whole process, you need to be capable of sending the command, and it is not anyone who can do it."

"Oh, I see." Vicky said, "So, how does one is capable of performing magecraft? Do you have to be born with the skill? With some kind of 'magic gene'? Or it is the kind of skill you can actually acquire?"

The ferret looked at her for a few moments. She sighed, and she soon was moving again. She removed her glasses, both of her paws went to the bottom of her sweater, and she started pulling it up. Vicky was surprised, and so where the other mammals of the team, was she going to undress?

However, Zillah only removed her sweater, revealing that underneath she was wearing a bra-cut tank top. She let the sweater hang, as Cory held it in its beak like a good bird.

"To do magecraft." Zillah explained, as she adjusted her glasses back in his face, "You need to be able to start off the command. In a computer, the command is given by electrical energy. In magecraft, the command is given by **magical energy**." She said, looking at the camera. She then spread her arms, and she closed her eyes, it seemed that she was focusing.

Soon, something started to happen to her body, as it looked like it was starting to glow. However, it was not as if her entire body was glowing. It was like there was a glowing pattern forming in her body. It was a blue glow that could be see beneath her fur, moving over her body. Thanks to the bra-cut top tank, it was possible to see that this pattern formed on her torso, on her arms, went up her neck and even on her face, they also suspected it went on her lower body as well. These patterns were lines of a solid pattern, and they kind of looked like… circuits…

"These…" Zillah said, as she allowed the camera to capture the event that was happening in her body. "Are my **magic circuits**. They are a pseudo-nervous system that runs over my body. Their function is to conduct magical energy; much like my actual nervous systems conducts electrical signals. They are what allow one to perform magecraft, as they allow the exchange of magical energy between yourself and the environment around you."

Vicky said nothing to this, as she only kept looking. Indeed, these patterns of lines looked just like what one would imagine for the circuits of a computer's microchip.

"Magic circuits are essential to the performing of magecraft, for they allow for the magic energy, or **prana**, to be exchanged between yourself and the environment. The magical energy that is produced naturally inside the body is known as **od**, while the magical energy present in the world around us is called **mana**. Magecraft is possible because our magic circuits allow us to exchange energy between the world and ourselves, making it possible to perform the spells. You can say that our circuits allow us to send the command to the system and execute the program." Zillah explained, as she looked at her body, at the glowing lines in her arms. After a few moments, she picked her sweater from Cory's beak, and she was soon dressing it again.

"I see…" Vicky said, as the ferret put her sweater back on. "So, magic circuits allow for one to perform magecraft. So, can magic circuits be acquired? Can someone 'grow' them? Would a mammal who does not have them acquire them suddenly, or a mage like you would gain more with time?"

"They are not like fur." Zillah said. "They don't grow with time. I mean, they kind of do, once your body is growing… what I mean is, they are kind of like a number of limbs or of internal organs that you have." The ferret explained. "You don't grow a third arm or a second heart. The amount you have at birth is the amount you are fated to have. Of course, you can lose them in one way or another, just like you can lose a limb in an accident, but you can't just grow extra magic circuits. That is not how it works."

"I once heard someone say that every living creature had at least one magic circuit inside of them, however, that is not even by far enough to be able to perform exchange of magical energy. No, you cannot just acquire the ability to make magecraft. You need to be born with a certain quantity of magic circuits in your body, and they need to be functional enough to exchange prana with the environment. You need to be born a mage." Zillah finished as she looked at the camera.

* * *

Many houses were watching the news, and seeing the things that the ferret girl was saying.

Among them, there was one house that had a family in it. A female lioness and her three cubs were all watching the television, all sitting in the ground. The cubs were calling a lot of attention, because they all were wearing pointed hats and they had toy magic wands in their paws.

As soon as the ferret on the television said these words, the three cubs immediately deflated.

"Owwwww…" The three young lion cubs went, looking dejected, making their mother feel really sorry for the three young ones.

"Oh, cubs…" She said gently, petting each one of them in the head. "Would you like some cookies?"

The three cubs nodded their heads, still looking quite dejected…

* * *

At the same time, another family of mammals was watching the news. This family was composed of rhinos, a mother, a father, and two sons. They all were watching the news on the couch, with the two sons showing the more interest into it. However, it was the oldest son, who was nearly nineteen, who was dressed the part, as he was wearing a purple robe with silver stars and a matching pointy hat. He was also was carrying a long staff, which seemed like it was made with the stick of a broom with a purple crystal strapped to it with duct tape.

As they watched the news, and as the ferret said that, the rhino visibly deflated.

"Owwwww…" he groaned, slumping over and looking dejected.

"Oh… bummer, huh?" The younger sibling said, patting the arm of his older brother in an attempt at comforting.

"Can you go put normal clothes now?" The father asked, sounding annoyed. "Or at least an underwear?"

* * *

"Well, that does makes a lot of sense." Vicky said, still following the explanations of the ferret. "So, do mammals can just be born randomly with magic circuits, or there is some hereditary predisposition to having them? I mean, you did mention how mages are loyal to their families, so I am assuming that there is at least a hereditary factor involved."

"Quite smart." Zillah said to her, and Vicky could not help but feel a twinge of pride.

"Yes, indeed, it is more likely for you to be born with magic circuits if at least one of your parents have them." Zillah explained. "Affinity with magecraft is something that is related to bloodlines. That is why so many mage families are so careful with who their children marry, for they know that the best way to ensure that the following generations will be possessors of the best magic circuits, for they not only define the fact that someone is a mage or not, but also determine the power a mage have."

"Really? How so?" Vicky asked, as she was

"A mage's circuits allow them to interact with the environment in exchange of energy that allows magecraft to happen. As so, the level of magecraft that a mage can achieve are directly related to how much magical energy they can conduct at once to exchange with the environment." Zillah explained. "In this point, both quantity and quality of the magic circuits are factors. After all, a mage with a greater quantity of circuits will be able to channel more magical energy than one with few, and magic circuits of a greater quality will be able to conduct magical energy better than magic circuits of inferior quality."

Vicky nodded as the ferret continued to explain that. Zillah reached out for her arm, and pulled the sleeve of her sweater back, exposing her arm. Once more it was possible to see the lines of her magic circuits shining under her fur.

"The average mage has twenty magic circuits on their body. I have eighteen of them." She explained as she looked at her glowing arm. "And they are of a quite regular quality. So, in terms of power, I guess I am slightly below average as a mage."

"And, you inherited your circuits from your family, right?" Vicky asked, as if to show that she was paying attention.

"Yeah." Zillah confirmed, "My grandfather was a mage, and so was my father, and because of this, I was born with magic circuits. Of course, these two did their breeding right; they were able to choose mates who gave them kits with magic circuits of a better quality than they had themselves."

"This is how mage families manage to grow overtime. Not only they study and pass down all the knowledge they accumulated, but they also keep their pedigree strong by choosing their mates carefully, so their offspring will have better magic circuits." Zillah told her. "As you probably guessed, mages don't marry based on love, they marry based on partners that will give them offspring with better magic circuits."

Vicky nodded at this and, once more, showed that she knew how to make smart questions:

"So, this means that possession of magic circuits is hereditary. However, all things need to start somewhere." The vixen said, and Zillah looked back at her as she continued, "This means that there must have been someone along these lines who was the first. Someone who had the magic circuits first and then started to pass then down to their descendants."

"You are right." Zillah confirmed. "Everything starts at a certain point, and it is the same with mage lineages."

"Affinity with magecraft and the possession of magic circuits is related to bloodline." Zillah continued to explain. "But sometimes, it is possible that a bloodline that never had mages before can suddenly give birth to a mage. It is perfectly possible that a mammal whose both mother and father's lineages never produced a mage before to be born with magic circuits, although it is considered rare. Among mages, individuals like that are popularly called **rough diamonds**. It is said that these individuals have the potential to start out new lineages, as it was the case with my family."

"The Ferron clan, a lineage of mage ferrets, started with my grandfather, Oswald Ferron. He was the first mage of the Ferron clan. My father, Livingston Ferron, was the second generation of mage of our family. And finally, you have me." The ferret said, and she made a gesture, as if she was presenting herself. "Zillah Mustelia Ferron, the third generation of mage of the Ferron clan, heir of their legacy and the current matriarch of the family."

She sighed as she recomposed herself. "Of course, like I explained, families of mages breed carefully to ensure the better magic circuits of their descenders, and while my father and grandfather both did that, we are a new clan. There are families out there who have been around for many more generations, and had a lot more time to do their breeding carefully, making sure that each generation of their lineage would be stronger than the previous one, all the while leaving their research for them, so they can continue to study and expand the knowledge of the clan. For this is how mage clans have their power, pedigree combined with knowledge passed down."

"I see…" Vicky said. "So, this means that mages take notes of all of their studies and leave them down for their kits to study them, right?"

"Yeah, many mages do that." Zillah confirmed, however, there was something about her expression… "However, all of the mage lineages have chosen for an approach that is… a bit more radical."

As she spoke that, she reached out for the bottom of her sweater and started to pull up. Vicky even thought that she was going to remove it again, but instead, the ferret only rose it to expose her belly. As she did, something was glowing in there, and it seemed like a small piece of her circuits that were glowing in that area.

"This… is my **magic crest**." Zillah said, a he gestured to the glowing mass of circuits that shone under her fur. "The most important treasure of any mage family, and it has the combined experience and knowledge of all of my ancestors."

Vicky looked at this, and she turned to her. "So… mages actually imprint their knowledge into the bodies of their descendants?"

"Actually, they do it in their circuits." Zillah explained to the vixen. "There is a method that allows a mage to alter a portion of their circuits, imprinting knowledge into them. Basically, the circuits are turned into a storage device that holds into information, downloaded in them. This is later transplanted into another mammal, and all of the downloaded information goes with it."

Vicky blinked, as she looked at the ferret.

"The magic crest of the Ferron clan started with my grandfather, who made a download of all of the spells and all of the thaumaturgical knowledge that he acquired in life into a set of his own circuits." Zillah explained. "Then, he passed these circuits down, transplanting them from himself into my father. At some point, my father repeated the process, downloading his own accumulated knowledge into the circuits that he received from my grandfather, and then he passed it down to me before he passed away. Now I hold the magic crest, being the heir and matriarch of the Ferron clan, and I'm able to access the knowledges stored in it and even to use the spells that were downloaded into the crest, even if I never learned these spells myself. You can say that it is an archive that holds all of the accumulated knowledge of my clan ever since it was first created."

Vicky had listened to that very intently, and she nodded.

"You are right. It _is_ a bit radical."

"You, many agree, but it is that how mages do things. It is a method that works, and it has proven to be very efficient." Zillah said to her. "My crest is rather small, once I'm only a third generation of my clan. Some clans have repeated the process over eight, nine, even ten or more generations. Due to this, their crests are better, for not only they have more knowledge, but became far more stable and easier to use."

Vicky nodded, as she took in all that she had just heard. Still, there was a point where she needed to develop more, even because it was somewhat bothering her:

"I see… So, the crest is removed from the previous user to the next to pass down accumulated knowledge. I can understand that. But, how the crest is transferred? The two must go through a surgical process? Like when you are transplanting an organ?"

"There is no need for surgery." Zillah clarified. "Mages developed a way to pass down the crest through physical contact, by using a special ritualistic process; there is even a lot of theater around the 'sacred ritual' of magic crest transference. However, there are similarities to what you just said, as it is needed for donor and receptor to be compatible, by being relatives for example, otherwise, the crest will produce negative effects to the user, as their body will reject the crest, pretty much like it would reject a new organ."

"Yeah, you can say that in this point the transference of magic crest is exactly like the transference of an organ. It _needs_ to have compatibility, and the chances of rejection are high, even between close relatives."

Vicky nodded. "So, this means that the process is actually risky? That it can put the receptor's life in danger?"

"Not anymore." Vicky explained. "There was a death rate in the past, but mages developed good ways of countering it and minimizing the strain that it causes in the one inheriting the magic crest. This includes passing it little by little, passing small pieces of the crest, one at a time, to the heir while they are still in their young years."

"Young years?" Vicky asked, interrupting her as she was surprised by this. "You mean they do this while the 'heirs' are still kits?"

"Well… it is tradition among mages." Zillah admitted. "The process was perfected over many generations so the risks are minimal. It is easier for the body to adapt to the crest while still young, so they will adapt to it's presence in their bodies while they mature. I started to receive the pieces of the crest from my father when I was seven. Also, in order to prevent our bodies from rejecting the crest, we are given special medicine made from special herbs and crushed reptile and bird bones, it is somewhat like an immunosuppressant that allows our bodies to adapt to the crest. By the time we have received all of it, our bodies grew used to the crest, and there is no longer any risk of rejection. The whole process if safe... even though it is a bit painful…"

Vicky remained silent as she took this in. The idea that mages put their own kits through such thing was unsettling. She thought it was, and she was sure that some others who saw this would think the same way. She decided to push these thoughts aside and focus on continuing the interview.

"So, it is all very interesting." Vicky said to her. "How mages use their magic circuits to realize exchange of magical energy between themselves and the environment around them. Of course, the very concept of magical energy is one that is interesting in itself. The fact that mages can produce it on their own bodies is fascinating, and the fact that it exists in the atmosphere is something worth of note. Of course, it leads me to wonder just what exactly would be magical energy, and how common it could actually be, once it exist in the air."

Zillah nodded.

"Yeah, it is a complex theme. They often refer to it as **animus**, or by **life**, as it is observed that all living things have it. From non-mages to plants and insects, all things have od in them. Also, a quantity of magical energy, the mana, can be found in the air, in the land, and in the water. In this point, magical energy is actually considered the same as life energy, the energy that all living things have in their bodies, according to old texts. Some question these claims, but the fact that mages can get tired and worm out if they use too much of their magical energy, or even die if they run out of it, actually gives valid to these theories." Zillah explained, while Vicky continued to listen very intently.

"Among mages it is often said that od is the _lifeblood of the soul_, while mana is the _lifeblood of the planet_."

"Oh, you mean, as if the planet itself is alive?" Vicky asked, and the ferret girl nodded.

"Yeah, it is a bit complicated." Zillah admitted. "It is as if the world has its own life, as it possesses its own magical energy, with which mages like me are able to interact. Of course, the concept is hard to grasp, but it becomes easier when you take in consideration the existence of **ley lines**."

"I am sorry, ley lines?" Vicky asked, and Zillah was quick to clarify.

"These are natural lines in the world in which the mana flows in greater quantity. There is mana everywhere, and it is said to be the lifeblood of the planet, which fills the world with nature and life, according to some of our more exoteric teachings and beliefs. As the mana travels in greater quantities naturally through the ley lines, some go as far as to saying that ley lines are the _magic circuits of the planet_. Of course, some question such analogy, but we do know it is a fact."

"Mages often rely on their own magical energy, but od is produced in low quantity, in a way that mages are often forced to rely on it, merely using their own od as way of jumpstarting the process. Of course, the amount of mana they can use from the world is directly related to the quality and quantity of magic circuits they have, their own personal limits."

Vicky nodded at this. It was a lot of information to take at once. However, she was focusing into the interview, as it was clearly the most important thing at the moment. So, she soon was formulating her next words.

"I see, so, through the exchange of magical energy between yourself and the world you can realize the effects like what you just did with the flames." Vicky said to her. "So, this means you could also produce other effects, like controlling water, for instance? Or do you have more practicing in using flames?"

The ferret looked at her, and she said:

"Well, I do have more tricks besides the use of flames. I know basic magecraft, like mental interference and healing magecraft, but I cannot control water, like you said. You see, I don't have the water element, only the fire element."

"Oh?" Vicky said, getting interested in that point, and Zillah already knew that she would have to develop the theme.

"The world is formed by natural **elements**: fire, water, earth and wind. According to the teachings that are standard to the Association, there is also a fifth element known as **ether** or **void**, which is the element of magical energy itself. These five elements form the basis of magecraft. Every mage has a specific **elemental affinity**, being able to control at least one element. So to say, it can be said that mages are each one born with a certain element, the one they have affinity with."

"In my case, I have affinity with the fire element, which is considered 'common', some mages have affinity with water or earth, and some have affinity with the wind, which is considered 'noble'. Of course, there are also some who have affinity with void, the fifth element, but those are rarer."

Zillah saw the way that the vixen followed her explanation, and she thought that it was better to develop the theme even further:

"But don't go thinking that a specific element deals only with the element itself, for each element has its own association and its own domains. As I said, elements are the basis to all magecraft, and that is because each element has a lot of associations to itself, as it was saw in the research of the famous mage Paracelsus von Foxenheim." Zillah explained as she looked at the vixen.

"For instance, spells of the fire element are not only related to flames and sparks, but to heat, entropy, consumption, fuels, transference of energy and thermodynamics. Spells of the water element are related to flows, forms, cycles, combinations and manipulations. The spells of the earth element, in their turn, are related to grounding, cultivation of energy and energy embedding. Finally, the spells of the wind element are related to the air, kinetic forces, static energy, free energy, and directed movement." Zillah said, numbering everything that she could remember from her own studies. "And, of course, we can't forget the element of ether, which is the one that actually combines with all the other four, in order to actualize the effects of magecraft."

"I understand…" Vicky said, as she followed the explanation that Zillah was giving. "So, mages are limited to having affinity with only one of each of these elements?"

"Well, the element you have is the one you control, but they are not limited to possess only one of these five, or these five, by that matter." Zillah said, "There are cases in which a mage can have affinity with two, or even three elements, but these cases are considered rare in and on themselves. I heard about some skilled mages who have Earth and Fire, or even Fire and Water, and there is actually a famous mage who has three elements."

"Sounds interesting." Vicky agreed, and Zillah continued:

"Also, there are the 'rare elements'. We are talking about elements like lightning and ice, or maybe even more specific and specialized elements. Now, those who have rare elements like that can often find themselves with difficulties to use other kinds of magecraft, but in compensation, the mages who master these special elements can become powerful specialists. I could tell you about a mage who is the master of lightning magecraft thanks to her rare element of lightning… but I know when not to talk too much, believe it or not." Zillah said, and both she and Vicky were able to chuckle at this.

"I totally get it." Vicky said, "I have to say, this got me quite curious. In terms of rarity, what kind of elemental affinity would be considered the rarest of them all?"

Zillah took a moment to think, and she soon said:

"**Average ones**, definitely."

"Average… ones?" Vicky asked, and Zillah soon was explaining.

"Normally a mage will have affinity with only one element, be either a basic one or a rare one. To have more than one affinity is very rare." Zillah explained once more. "However, there are cases that are very rare, in which a mammal will have affinity with _all_ of the five elements. They will have affinity with fire, water, earth, wind and ether. Individuals like that are rare, and they are seen in very high regard by the Association, for they are able to master all kinds of spells, and so, their potential as mages is huge."

Vicky nodded at this.

"I see. I see… So, it sounds to me that elemental affinity is like magic circuits. The one you have is the one that you will have for the rest of your life."

"Not necessarily." Zillah said, causing the fox to look at her. "Elemental affinity is something that you might have from birth, like magic circuits, and some lineages even have more affinity to a certain element. However, there are methods that have been developed within the centuries, methods that actually allow one to change their elemental affinity."

"Oh, so it would be possible to change from one element to another? Like, you could trade your fire element for another one?" Vicky asked, and Zillah looked at her as she answered:

"Yeah, the methods actually exist, but they are not exactly popular. You see, changing one's elemental affinity is complex and it is very taxing to the body, once it involves radically changing something about yourself. The processes are hard and they put a lot of stress on the one who is making them. These methods cause a lot of pain, and many of them can actually put the life of someone in danger. They are not the kind of thing that a mage would do unless they were absolutely sure they wanted to go through something so dangerous. But, if they are willing and sure, they can go through said processes and effectively change their elemental affinities."

"Yeah, it does makes sense." Vicky said, and she soon was saying something more:

"All in all, it seems that magecraft is indeed something amazing." The vixen admitted, "Even if it is not as overpowered as the examples of magic that are often depicted in works of fiction. It does makes sense that it follows rules, and that it cannot do the impossible. Still, there is one thing…"

Zillah looked at her, as the vixen questioned:

"You said that there was a difference between magecraft and 'magic'. Does it means that there is actually magic out there? What differences are these exactly? At which point something passes from the stage of magecraft and can be considered magic?"

Zillah looked at her for a few moments, as if she was choosing the next things that she would say. However, it was clear that she intended to explain.

"Magic… is something that many mages dream with." Zillah said, and she continued to explain, "It is also called **True Magic**, and some also call it **Sorcery**. It is something that is much higher than magecraft, or than any form of science. It is different from magecraft, in the point where it can actually do the impossible."

"Magecraft is limited by the rules of the world, as it is merely '_a way around the rules_'. However, Magic goes far beyond such limits, for it is a '_rule outside of rules_'. Because of this, Magic is not tied by the same rules of reality that magecraft and science are, and it is something that can actually do the impossible. Travelling through time, bringing the dead back to life, and other forms of miracles, these things are possible through Magic."

Vicky remained in a respectful silence as she heard that, and Zillah continued:

"I only heard about it, actually, just like I heard about the legendary individuals who are said to have acquired Magic. Among us, these individuals are know as **Magicians**, but I, personally, prefer to call them **Sorcerers**. They are said to be mages, practitioners of magecraft, like all of us, but they have actually went one step further, and managed to break the barriers and achieve the power that only True Magic can grant."

"Oh…" Vicky said, as she took in this new piece of information. No wonder they made sure to let the difference between magecraft and magic very clear. After all, one was tied to rules and other seemed to be above the rules. It was a very meaningful difference.

"So, for what I can understand, all sorcerers are mages, but not all mages are sorcerers, right?" Vicky asked.

"That… is somewhat of an understatement, but it is correct." Zillah admitted, "After all, in order to acquire true magic and become a sorcerer, you would need to be an adept of magecraft."

"So, magic can be achieved by complete mastery of magecraft?" Vicky asked. "That is how one acquires magic?"

"Actually, you acquire true magic by achieving the ultimate truth." Zillah said, and she looked at the vixen as she explained:

"Magecraft holds it in similar with science the fact that it looks to uncover the truth, and to find out the mechanisms that cause the universe and the reality to work." Zillah explained, "So, in theory, all of the research of magecraft has in goal to reach the truth, the ultimate knowledge."

"Sorcerers did not achieved true magic out of power or even from experience." The ferret girl continued. "They achieved it because they reached the supreme goal of all mages, which is to reach the truth. They have deepened into their studies and understanding of the world so deeply and efficiently that they have uncovered the secrets of how the universe works. They have reached the deeper understanding of reality, which allowed them to reach a level of skill that no other mage could be able to mimic."

"They have, even for a split-second, witnessed the absolute truth of everything…" Zillah concluded, and she seemed to be in deep thought. Vicky had been listening intently to everything, and she nodded. It was indeed something.

"Well, I guess that is the result of reaching the Root." Zillah said, and the vixen perked.

"The Root?" She inquired, and the ferret soon put herself to explain:

"**The Swirl of the Root**." She said, and she didn't even needed to look into the face of the vixen to know that she needed to develop the topic better. "The Root is something that all mages are told to in order to understand the concept of what we look for. The Root is said to be the origin of all that existed, exists and will one day exist. It is also know as **akashic records**. It is a concept that they say that exists beyond the reach of time and space, and of mammal comprehension, being that from which everything came, and to which everything will return one day, the beginning and ending of the universe."

Vicky nodded at all of that. The concept was a little hard to grasp, but she was able to understand the basic idea.

"And this Root, it is the source of all truth?" Vicky asked, and Zillah nodded.

"It is the source of everything. It has the plans and memory of everything that ever was and ever will, of everything that could have been and everything that can still be. It is a universal record of everything, from the past to the future, and of all of eternity in between. So, it is no surprise that it is considered to be nothing more than the source of all of the truth of the universe. So, in theory, if you are able to reach the root, to see it, to touch, and to decipher it, you will learn the absolute truth of everything."

"Once you have learned the supreme truth of everything, you will be able to control the truth, and maybe even change it to suit your needs." Zillah continued, "It is said that by reaching the Root, one will be able to completely erase the concept of impossible. They would be able to force reality to submit to their will, and to do absolutely anything that they put their minds into. They will acquire the power of a god."

"Wow…" Was all that Vicky could articulate.

"Of course, doing such a thing is impossible, even to the best mages." Zillah continued. "The Root is beyond the reach of any mortal. Still, it does not stops them from wanting to reach for it. That is the goal of all mages, you know?"

"We study and try to perfect our craft to the ultimate form in hopes of maybe using it as a mean of reaching for the Root. We study endlessly in hopes that one day our craft will have evolved enough so we will be able to achieve the ultimate truth of the universe and of everything that comes from it. Both the supreme knowledge that comes from reaching the truth, and the True Magic that one acquires as a result of knowing the truth. These are two things that guide every and each mage of this world. Out ultimate aspiration." Zillah said, concluding her reasoning, and leaving Vicky a bit stunned by such information.

* * *

A pair of mammals was watching the interview through the television. One of them was a moose, and the other was a brown bear. They had been watching it for a while, and that talk in the end was something that really caught both of their attention, as they shared a look.

"Man…" The bear said, and the moose looked at him for a few moments, before nodding.

"Yes, it surely is something... Even if it is just a symbolism."

"Sorry, 'just a symbolism'?" The bear asked. "Dude, have you not heard all that was said just now by the ferret?"

"We can't take everything at words value." The moose said to him. "I don't know about you, but to me this whole 'Root' thing sounds like a very strong symbolism. It seems to be a representation of what the mages seem to aspire: understanding of the functioning of the world and great knowledge. They truly are kind of like scientists."

"Except for the fact that they can shot magic missiles."

"I do believe that this thing she just talked about, the 'Root', is more of a metaphysical concept, a symbolism for the knowledge and wisdom that mages look to achieve." The moose insisted. "All religions are like that. Just ways of giving a physical shape to something that they either don't understand or want to achieve."

The bear rolled his eyes, and soon, both of them had their attention once more turned to the television, as the interview was still not over.

* * *

"So, mages basically aim to reach the Root?" Vicky asked, and the ferret nodded.

"Yeah, it is the ultimate ideal of all mages. To be able to reach the state of ultimate perfection that will finally allow you to look and see the truth behind everything. To be in a state in which all the secrets of the universe will reveal themselves to you." Zillah explained. "It is the goal of mages, just like it is of many other kinds of mammals, like scientist and even monks. They look for the ultimate understanding of the universe. All that we do is in order to reach the truth, and all of the abilities and spells that we develop on the way are merely consequences of looking for the truth. At least, that in theory…"

Vicky nodded, and she remained in silence, and Zillah sighed.

"We are supposed to look for the Root in hope of learning the absolute truth of the universe. We should do it for no other purpose than the shake of knowing it. However, I think that many of us are more interested in the prospect of acquiring True Magic. We do want more power…"

Zillah made another pause, and she seemed like she was in deep thought. Vicky looked at her, and she remained in silence, not wanting to break whatever line of thought that the ferret looked like she was having now.

At one point, Zillah turned to Vicky, and she spoke:

"You asked me if mages had a religion, didn't you?" She asked, and Vicky only looked at her.

"Well, I guess that you can say different things, in depending on what you define as 'religion'."

Zillah looked up at her, and the vixen let her talk all she wanted.

"If you define religion as the belief into a superior entity to which you own devotion and adoration, as the submission of oneself to the will of a mysterious entity that you cannot see or understand, as the consequent devotion of your life to live according to the designs of this entity or entities, then mages do not have a religion. We see no point in something like that."

She stopped a little, and she then continued:

"But, if you define religion as the belief into something bigger than yourself, as a belief that molds and directs your actions, as something that gives sense and purpose for your existence, then you can say that mages _do_ have a religion."

Another silence followed these words, and in this, Vicky ventured to ask:

"The Root?"

"The _quest_ for the Root." Zillah corrected her. "This is what all mages want, and is what all of us search for. It is something that makes our lives and actions have sense, and is something that gives purpose to all of our researches, efforts and sacrifices."

"We do all of that in hope to search for the Root, and acquired the power that will come from the ultimate knowledge."

Zillah stopped for a moment, and she looked up. The sky was darkening with the coming of dawn, and it was already possible to see some stars in the changing sky, as well as the pale moon in the sky.

"We dedicate ourselves fully for this search with all that we have." Zillah continued, as she looked at the sky. "We dedicate nearly every hour of our waking time into researches and studies, neglecting our relationships, personal lives and even our personal needs in the process. We evolve our art to the ultimate form throughout our lives in hope that we will achieve the perfection in our lifetime. And when we realize we won't be able to reach it yet in our lives, we then trust our descendants to continue our work and one day reach it for us."

She had explained, and the vixen looked at her as she continued to talk.

"We do all of that in hope of achieving this power." Zillah said, as she kept looking at the sky. "In hope of achieving even a sliver of this power."

She spoke and rose her paw, as if trying to reach at something, the moon in her sight. "This power that will allow us to do everything and to reach anything… This power that will allow us to reach out for the night sky…" She made a gesture with her paw, and as she did, her closed paw blocked the moon, making it seem that she had grabbed it. "…and grab the stars."

As she spoke, the camera only captured her looking up, raising her paw and making a gesture as if she was grabbing something in the air. Still, the sense of what she was speaking did not get lost in the slightest, as Vicky was able to understand it perfectly.

She even ventured to look at her team, and their expressions told her everything. They too had gotten the gist of what she meant, and she could only wonder what they were thinking. As well as what anyone else who saw the interview would think.

Zillah kept her eyes turned to the sky for a few more moments, but she soon was recomposing herself, realizing that she had let herself get carried away a bit.

"Sorry." Zillah said, "Well, I guess this just serves to expose just how passionate we mages are about this." She said.

"I guess you can say that being a mage means living to reach the truth." She explained. "Or at least, that is what it should meant, if most mages weren't so busy with personal matters."

"Yeah, I totally understand." The vixen said, and Zillah soon was speaking:

"Well, that pretty much sums up the most basic of magecraft and magic." The ferret said, "There is a lot more to it, obviously, but I told you I'd only explain what I could. I'm pretty sure that the big shots of the Association would not like me talking more about this than I already did."

Vicky looked at her. Indeed, the matter addressed until now had been fascinating. However, Vicky was an experienced reporter, and there was other questions that needed to be ask, starting with one that had been in her mind for a while.

"Yes, this was a great Magecraft 101." The vixen said to her. "But… I'm sorry, you have talked about this 'Association' a few times now. Would you mind talking about it next?"

Zillah looked at her before smiling.

"Oh, yes, of course… The **Mage's Association**."

* * *

**So, this concludes the second part of The Interview. Hope you guys enjoyed.**

**Also, "Our Mini Ostriches" is something that I saw in the story "Found", by Elite Sage. The Story Itself was based on the BellHunterverse, with the stories "The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether" and "A Lamb Among Wolves", done by WastedTimeEE.**

**Please, leave comments and reviews. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please no flaming.**


	18. The Interview - The Mage's Association

_Mammals may form associations for and among themselves and be governed by stipulations that are mutually acceptable._

**_~Russel M. Nelsow_**

* * *

Zootopia was a city in which mammals went on to take care of their business every day. After all, it was a big city, busy and busting with movement and life. Mammals went here and there all the time, all of them taking care of their own personal business, making something important, or simply walking around either by themselves or with some company.

From the streets of the city to the small stores that sold all manners of conveniences and objects.

Speaking of which, a particular store that sold electronic articles, with a wide variety of options to cater for all tastes and needs, was particularly busy.

Many mammals walked on this store, as they varied from adults looking for new laptops and computers for their works and personal business to cubs who were walking with their parents and begging them to buy new videogames for their PawStation IV. Mammals of all kinds walked in there, all of them looking for some short of satisfaction that the store could provide.

All of them had walked in the store, but now, most of them were gathering into a certain section of the store: the consumer electronic section.

This section had all that one could want for their household, from domestic appliances to the kitchen to televisions of all sizes and styles. The televisions in particular, were the center of the attention. Mammals were coming from the entire store and stopping what they were doing to look at the televisions. Better saying, they were coming to see what was being show in them.

It was something normal for these televisions put in the store to be plug, turned on, and tuned into something to show that the television worked and had a very good image. The televisions had each been set into a specific channel, however, for a while, they all had been tuned into the same channel.

Maybe it was because of the owners of the store that had decided to tune into that specific channel, for they considered that it was something important. Maybe it was another reason. However, they were all tuned into the same channel, and showing the exact same thing. The ZNN was still showing the interview with a genuine mage, giving explanations about mages and related subjects. This caused all of the shoppers to stop what they were doing and looking at the television, as they wanted to see what was going on. Some of them were talking among themselves, discussing all that they were saying, but most of them only wanted to look into the televisions so they could hear what explained by the ferret. A small crowd formed in front and around the televisions, as the animals all wanted to see and hear what the interview was all about…

"_Well, that pretty much sums up the most basic of magecraft and Magic._" The ferret in the screen said, as the mammals watched intently to the same image in the multiple televisions. "_There is a lot more to it, obviously, but I told you I'd only explain what I could. I'm pretty sure that the big shots of the Association would not like me talking more about this than I already have._"

The mammals in there all had become greatly interested among themselves. Most of the adults merely looked with interest, but in fact they were very much amazed by what they were seeing, although a few of them looked like they were not liking what they were seeing and hearing. The cubs, however, were a bit more excited over it; there was even a small polar bear cub who looked ready to explode as he looked at the television. Some older mammals shared the opinion of the cubs, as the geek-looking mammals talked among themselves on the subject, commenting on how magecraft was so scientific…

Meanwhile, the interview was continuing, as the televisions were showing:

"_Yes, this was a great Magecraft 101._" The vixen said, as she looked back at the ferret, both of them appearing in the screen of the televisions. "_But… I'm sorry, you have talked about this 'Association' a few times now. Would you mind talking about it next?_"

All eyes were glue on the screens as the ferret smiled.

"_Oh, yes, of course… The **Mage's Association**._"

* * *

"We mostly refer to it as '**The Association**', and it is something that all mages know about, and many are associated to it." Zillah said, looking an the vixen as she explained. "It was founded around two thousand years ago, by a mage who reunited other mages under himself and formed a group that was intent into protecting and developing the mystic arts, as well as allowing the practitioners of these arts to manage and defend themselves."

"That was the beginning of the Association, as that small group gathered more and more adepts, growing from a small group into a larger gathering of mages, all from all species, origins and styles of magecraft. All of them united under the common goal of protecting and developing their craft." Zillah continued to explain. "Nowadays, the Mage's Association is an international, self-preservation and self-defense organization formed by practitioners of magecraft. Its main goals are to protect the mages from persecutions and dangers, as well as controlling and helping develop magecraft. Of course, their goals also included concealing magecraft, for it had been the goal since it was decide that it should be a secret since the Middle Ages, but I guess that this goal is kind of falling in disuse now. Although I'm pretty sure that some will be really mad at me for giving this interview."

"I see, I see…" Vicky said, listening intently to what she was hearing. "Well, it makes sense that mages would have their own kind of government, kind of like the Ministry of Magic, from the Harry Trotter series."

Zillah looked at her for a few moments, and Vicky actually thought that she had said something wrong. Then, the ferret started to snicker and chuckle.

"What?" Vicky said, looking at her, but the ferret quickly dismissed it.

"No, nothing. It is nothing…" She said, recomposing herself. "Anyway, the association has been around for two millennia already, and they have a great scope of influence. From nearly all areas of Roarope, all the way here to Animerica. Passing by the Afurikan continent, by Britain, and even reaching the far land of Astroala."

"But, their most present influence is in Britain." Zillah said, complimenting what she had already said. "After all, that is where their headquarters are."

"Oh. So it is really like a Ministry of Magic." Vicky said, and Zillah this time agreed.

"Yeah, I guess it kind of is... kind of… maybe…"

"So, the Association is the one who is responsible for all the important decisions of the mage community in the world." Vicky said to her. "This makes it sounds like they form the government among mages. I'll take a shot and say that it were them who had decided to make magecraft a secret from the world."

"You are right." Zillah confirmed. "The decision came from the high authorities of the Mage's Association during the middle ages. It took them a lot of effort and continual work, but they managed to make the world forget about mages and magecraft. Not only that, but their focused a lot of their policies and efforts went into making sure that magecraft would remain a secret known only by the absolutely minimum necessary."

"They took care of witnesses to make them forget what they saw, erased all kinds of evidence to make sure that there would be no proof of our existence, and made many more things to ensure that our craft would remain hidden from the world." She explained, looking at Vicky as she spoke that. "You can say that they did their best in their own personal conspiracy to keep the supernatural a secret. The Association has spent centuries monopolizing the secrets and mysteries of the world."

* * *

The interview was being transmitted to everyone, in all available Medias. It was even being transmitted to the internet live for who wanted to see it. It was soon reaching all corners of internet, as more and more mammals were tuning in it by whatever means they could. It would be on the entire internet soon, or in at least a good part of it.

As a matter of fact, the interview was being transmitted at the very same moment in a sharing website. As it was transmitted, and the ferret was talking all about the Mage's Association. That started a wave of commentaries of the ones who were watching it through the internet:

**_BigClaws44:_**_ Wow! This is so cool! There is an actual Ministry of Magic! I wonder if there is a Hogwarts?_

**_HornZ:_** _Wanna hear more bout magecraft._

**_Jay_Puppy:_**_ I still don't believe that all this time they were keeping magic hidden. I've been lied to for my entire life!_

**_JJ#: _**_MAGECRAFT, dude. We're you not paying attention?_

**_TruthSeeker:_**_ I always knew that there was a constipacy going on!_

**_TruthSeeker:_**_ *conspiracy_

**_TruthSeeker:_**_ Of course, I thought it was from our government and it involved aliens, but supernatural thing is practically the same, right?_

**_JohnKing:_**_ I think there is a difference between alien and mage…_

**_TruthSeeker:_**_ You sure? :wolf looking to the side Izooji:_

**_Mad_Buffalo:_**_ Don't mess this up! This is serious! Mages have been around for a long time and they kept themselves hidden the best they could! Who knows how many have gotten their reputations and lives destroyed by them in name of their secret? Show some more respect!_

**_Honey_Badger:_**_ I agree with Mad_Buffalo! This is not something to play with! Especially if the sheep are somehow involved in this! Can you imagine if members of The Flock were mages? Or if they had ties with the Association? We would all be doomed!_

**_MageChaser01:_**_ I know that ferret! We met with her before she gave that interview! We had an awesome video that we were going to share with everyone, but she erased it! We almost died by looking for mages!_

**_MageChaser03:_**_ Let it go, Sully. No one believes us._

**_MageChaser01:_**_ We almost died for that video and we ended up without nothing!_

**_MageChaser03:_**_ :sighing hyena Izooji:_

* * *

"Well, this is really interesting." Vicky said. "Surely the Association has other functions and obligations than merely keeping the supernatural a secret, right?"

"Of course." Zillah confirmed. "The Association has many functions, and keeping the secrecy of magecraft is one of them. It has been an important one for a long time, but there are others. The Association has a lot of laboratories that devote themselves into studying and improving magecraft. They reunite some of the best and most skilled mages of the world and give them all the resources they need to advance in their studies."

"As long as they are members." Vicky said, and Zillah had to agree with this.

"Yeah, the Association would not give their resources to someone who was not connected to them." The ferret admitted, as she looked at the vixen. "Joining the Association is not obligatory, but many chose in order to have access to the many resources that they can offer to their members. The same way, staying a member is not mandatory, as anyone can leave the Association when they want to, but it is rare for anyone to do this, because that would mean losing access to all of the advantages that the Association can grant to any mage who is a member, as well as their families."

Vicky nodded, "So, they must offer a lot of resources. Would this include some equipment to continue their researches? Maybe spell books that they can borrow in order to study and increase their repertories?"

"Kind of." Zillah confirmed. "The Association has some formulas and rituals that are freely transmitted across its members. This allows them to perform these rituals and use these formulas into their own researches so they can move forward with their own works."

"Well, it sounds really reasonable." Vicky admitted. "The Association gives them things that they discovered in their labs to help them grow, that is surprisingly generous, taking in account what you said about mages being possessive and envious in relation to their own advancements."

"Oh, they are." Zillah said to her, "However, they do have something to gain by giving a part of what they developed, thanks to their patents."

"Oh, you mean, patents like these for inventions?" Vicky asked, and Zillah nodded.

"Mages have always been possessive with their researches, and they will never willingly give away their greatest discoveries to others. However, mages can develop many other things during their researches, like formulas and rituals that, while not being something essential to their own works, can be considered something quite exceptional, and that other mages would like to have."

"The Association knows that, and they also know that such advancements could help a lot of their members and, consequently, the Association as a whole. So, some mages give away small portions of their studies to the Association, so they can be stored in their archives and be available for any member." Zillah explained.

"I see…" Vicky said, "So, they do this and in exchange they get paid? With money?"

Zillah looked at her, and smiled.

"Mages need money." The ferret said. "We may have great skills, but we need money to continue our researches. We need to buy and negotiate many resources in order to continue the researches we do. Not only that, but also some mages have a certain lifestyle that is not cheap. There is also the fact that the Association, while being helpful to their members, is not a beneficent institution. So, in order to be able to sponsor their research, mages need to use their own means."

"Some families run business of all kinds. Some chose to embrace the lives of freelancers, but these are looked down by the mage community. Some use of… 'less honorable' ways of making money. Some do it through property, my family, for instance, has property of a mine of copper somewhere, it is not much, but it is something that helped us get by so far." Zillah explained, and she continued:

"However, the most appreciated and honored way of making money in the World of Magecraft is through patents. Mages won't give away their secrets in exchange for nothing, and while they are okay with giving small, harmless portions of their researches, they won't even do this much for free. That is why the patent system exists."

"With this system, a mage can give away a formula or ritual to the Association, and the specific thing will be noted down as theirs. Each time it is accessed or used, each time it helps someone in their own research, all of the credit goes to the mage who created it, and it is only fair that they are rewarded for that. So, the mage gets periodically paid for the specific advancement, based on how popular it is and how useful it is to the Association and its members."

"Sounds like an interesting way of making money." Vicky said, "So, some can actually get rich from this?"

"A number of families do." Zillah confirmed once more. "Some of the oldest families around have made their researches for many generations, and they have produced some amazing formulas and rituals that the Association has been using until today. That is the reason why some of the oldest mage families also tend to be the richest. There are families out there who make millions a year with their patents alone."

"Sounds like a way of living." Vicky said, "It seems that being a member of the Association truly gives a number of advantages. I imagine that there must be responsibilities as well."

"Of course." Zillah said. "Being a member of the Association offers a lot, but it also demands a lot of you. It is no different from being a member of the political parties. There is a lot of demands of you once you are a member."

"Like, abiding to the laws of the Codex?"

"That is standard." Zillah answered. "But it is actually something that they demand of you even if you are not associated. The Codex is a series of laws that were created in order to bring forth morals and ethics into the works of mages, and they are implemented in anywhere the Association has their influence. If you are in their area of influence, you are expected to abide by their rules, and if you don't, you can be sure that there will be consequences."

"The Enforcers come for you, right?" Vicky asked, as the subject was developing in an interesting way. "There are repercussions for crimes, like being taken to a prison, ain't there?"

"Only in the worst cases. But, yeah, there are consequences for breaking the rules, and that depends on the seriousness of your crime. For small crimes, like influencing others with mental interference without the need, you usually receive a penalty of being force to wear a particular device that prevents you from activating your magic circuits, and this way it prevents you from using magecraft. You have it locked on you and you will use it for a certain time."

"Oh, kind of like an electronic anklet?"

"Similar, because it also allows the Enforcers and the Association to track you." Zillah confirmed to her. "It is a lot of trouble among mages, because it prevents you from doing anything, even though you can continue to study, but you won't be able to practice magecraft. Not to mention the stigma attached to having to wear one of those, as everyone who sees it will know that you are a troublemaker."

Vicky nodded. It did sounded much like the electronic anklets, which let others who saw it know that the mammals who wore them were criminals who were under watch. That also gave them certain stigmas.

"I totally understand." Vicky said to her, and she asked:

"So, that is for the light crimes, right? I imagine that this means that there are other kinds of punishments for more serious offenses, no?"

"Oh, certainly." Zillah confirmed, "There are some kinds of punishments that are delivered to bigger offenses. One of the most serious is to have part of your Magic Crest confiscated."

"The Magic Crest?" Vicky asked. "The one you said that is the greatest treasure of any mage clan?"

"For you to see how serious this punishment is." Zillah spoke. "Like I said, the Magic Crest can be transferred from one mammal through another in a manner similar to how an organ is transplanted, minus the surgery. Also like I said, it is possible to transfer it piece by piece, or even partially. This kind of punishment takes advantage of this aspect of the Magic Crest, allowing the responsible mages to take part of the crest of a mage as a punishment for his or her crimes."

"This is considered a serious punishment to any mage, as it involves having part of the treasure of your clan confiscated, what reduces the amount of knowledge that you have with you and that will be passed down to your descendants. It is something that scares a lot to many mages; this makes it a very efficient punishment." Zillah explained, "They also do it when a lineage has a type of ritual that they deem dangerous and that they want to remove from circulation, as a way to ensure that this specific magecraft will not be lost, but also will be out of the paws of those who will misuse it."

"Sounds like a method." Vicky admitted; this interview was proving to be all that she had expected and far more. She would even dare to say that she saw a prize in her future...

"So, being forced to wear equipment that prevents you from using magecraft, and having part of your Magic Crest taken. These are two types of punishments in the world of mages." Vicky made recap; being sure that all was in order before proceeding. "There are other kinds of punishments? What I'm asking is: is there any crime that is punished with incarceration? Like, being locked into a cell and kept in there for months or even years?"

Zillah looked at her, and soon she was speaking:

"Only serious crimes are punished with away time. Like murder, crimes against the Association, or conspiracy to commit murder. These crimes are punished with an incarceration time in **Terrain Tartarus**."

"I see. Terrain Tartarus is a mage prison?"

"It is _the_ mage prison." Zillah confirmed to the vixen's question. "You see, before the Codex, mages had no prisons. We were used to solve our problems merely by eliminating others, but with the advent of our new laws, we adopted some behaviors close to how non-mages deal with crimes and infractions. One of them was the establishment of incarceration as a punishment. For that, they created Terrain Tartarus."

"They named after the legendary prison of the Greek mythology; it is a place to where mages who have committed serious crimes are sent. If you are a mage and you have murdered another mammal or done anything as bad as that, then you are send there. It is the only prison that the Association has, but it is the equivalent to a max security prison. The place is specially prepared so anyone inside will not be able to escape, and none of the inmates are capable of activating their magecraft while in there. There is even a powerful spell around the place that makes it difficult to discern location, so very few inside the Association even know where that place is, and even the inmates, once being free from that place, will not be able to give any clues that will help find out where the prison is located."

"Sounds to be a safe place." Vicky said.

"It has to be. Mages who have committed murder are sent there." Zillah said, "Incarceration is a very serious punishment among mages, as it basically consists into taking away your freedom and locking you away so you will be unable to continue your research and your work. That is why most mages fear Terrain Tartarus, even because they know that if you are sent there you will stay at least a few decades. It is the second worse punishment in our books."

"Second worse? Then what is the worse?" Vicky asked, and the ferret looked at her.

"They are called **Sealing Designations**." She explained. "They are our equivalent to a death sentence."

"Oh…"

"That according to most." Zillah said, explaining that to the vixen, "A sealing designation would be… well… it is basically being put into a state of suspended animation."

"They use a special ritual to reduce your breathing and even your heartbeat to a point where it is in a near standstill. You are still alive, but you are in a state of sleep where you don't feel cold or heat, don't get hungry or thirsty, and don't age. You just… exist. And once you are in this state, they put you in a hole so deep that you will never be touched by the light of day again. Basically, they put you in suspension for all eternity."

"Wow… that is a serious punishment." Vicky said, as the prospect was indeed frightening.

"It sure is." Zillah confirmed. "That is why only those who have committed the absolutely worst crimes deserve to get them. We are talking about genocide, mass murder, conspiracy against the very Association, and this kind of thing."

"I totally get it." Vicky admitted. "It does sounds like the Association has a very good way of dealing with criminals and of maintaining their order."

"Yeah, they do… when they are not too busy with their political dances." Zillah admitted

"Yeah, you spoke about that already." Vicky said, "You know, I wonder if these 'political dances' actually affect the inner workings of the Association… Mages seem to have a hierarchy based on power, does it reflects in the Association's hierarchy?"

"Well, you can say that it does." Zillah said to her. "The status of a mage is determined by their power. This is something that reflects both by the pedigree and by their own personal talent in magecraft. This way, old families hold more influence than recent ones, and individuals who are holders of great talent are more influent than those who are mediocre."

"This does reflects in the Association's hierarchy, of course. Even though some of us really like to insists that it is a personal meritocracy, there is a great deal of elitism involved. As a matter of fact, the Association and their headquarters have their own elite, formed by the oldest and most influent families of the Association. Many of them are lords."

"Lords as in, individuals of great importance and nobility?" Vicky asked, and Zillah soon continued.

"The word 'lord' is a word that represents someone with great deal of power and authority. Among the mages of the Association, the ones who hold the title of '**Lords**' are a great aristocratic elite, as they not only hold the respect and envy of most other mages, but also hold actual political power within the Association. Some of them actually have a great deal of talent, but there are some who just hold these titles thanks to their families, who have been influent in the Association for a very long time, and that are still able to influence what happens in the Association."

"Yeah, I can picture that." Vicky said, it was interesting to see that mage families indeed remembered very much the rich and influent families of the non-mages, as they had money, power, and they could actually induce others to do what they wanted, as some of them actually were politicians and public figures. That was something interesting…

"So, the elite of the Association is formed by lords, and they all hold political power in the Association. That is interesting. But, there are other forms of influence in the Association? There are some who hold a different type of power and influence other than the lords?" Vicky asked

"Indeed, there are." Zillah said, "There are the **wizard marshals**. They are individuals who hold military power."

"Military?" Vicky asked, "As in, controlling armies and holding full command in moments of war?"

"One of the missions of the Association is to defend itself and its members, as it is a self-defense organization." Zillah explained, wanting to clear possible misunderstandings. "For that, we have some mages who are fit to take control and command in cases of emergency, if it ever appears, and these individuals are the wizard marshals. They are individuals that, inside of the Association, would be the equivalent to our generals. They will exercise a great deal of influence in the case of a war, if it ever happens."

_Although I hope it won't._ Zillah added mentally, before she continued:

"But, most of the time, they do other functions, just like your generals do other things in times of peace."

"I see." Vicky said to her. "It seems that the Association really has an organization that makes it seem like a government in and on itself. This makes me wonder if there is a president, or something of the kind among you. There is an authority that is among the Association that is at the very top?"

Zillah didn't answered immediately, as it seemed that she was weighting her words and deciding what she should tell her about this next. Vicky was about to ask again, when the ferret finally found the words to answer:

"Lords have a deal of influence in the Association." She said, "And wizard marshals hold military power. However, they both are subject to another authority. The authority of the **Mage Council**."

"The Council, huh?" Vicky said, taking in this information. "I assume that is formed by a group of mages who hold the greatest authority."

"They are considered by any the greatest level of authority that a mage can achieve inside of the Association. The Mage Council, who we refer mostly as just **The Council**, is a group of great authority inside of the Association, formed by thirteen members, and they are famous for making the most important decisions within the Association, from the banishment of certain spells, possible alterations into the Codex, and even the emission and revocation of sealing designations."

"You can really say that they are top notch in the Association. The official leaders of all mages who compose this organization."

"I see." Vicky said, "And, how these mages reached their authority? They did so because of their own authority as lords? Or they were actually elected?"

"The Council has been present soon after the Association was founded." Zillah explained. "Originally it was formed by the best and most trusted mages of the founder of the Association, with time, as they retired or passed away, they were replaced by other mages of great power and prestige, elected by the remaining members. You can say that the Council self-manages itself."

* * *

"I can't believe that she is telling them all of this!" Sanders said as he stood on the table looking at the screen.

Right now, all members of the Council were all at the table. However, instead of each one being in their designated seat, as it was normal in most situations, instead, they were all reunite around Calves' seat, or they were standing on the table in order to have a better look into the screen of the laptop that his reindeer student has just brought.

The Council was in yet another of the very noisy reunions that they had been having in the past month. Lots of screaming was going on, even some names being called and some families being offended, until the reindeer once more intruded into the room, and this time without even knocking.

Some of them actually seemed ready to lash out at the reindeer who had meddled like that, until he told them about a news channel in Animerica that was transmitting a special story: a mage that was giving them an interview.

Some of them could barely believe it, however, soon they were seeing that it was indeed truth, as the one talking knew too much things for her not to be one of them. It was truly a mage, giving an interview to the ZNN, which was even being transmitted via the ZNN website to anyone who wanted to see it, even all the way across seas into the headquarters of the Association in England.

"She surely seems to have a lot to say." Calves mentioned casually, as he looked at it resting his chin on his hoof.

"She is telling them everything!" Sanders said once more. "So much effort to keep magecraft a secret and she is telling them all that they want to know just like that! She is exposing us like there is no tomorrow!"

"Weren't we already exposed after these videos started coming forth?" Collington asked, as she was standing on Calves' left, among other animals who were trying to get a good look at what was being show.

"That is beyond the point!" Sanders cried out back.

"She is not giving them all the information yet." Said another mammal, as this one was possibly the taller of the members of the Council. He was a big bull with brown fur on his body. His head had some more fur of a darker color than the brown of his body, as it went up the back and top of his head like a mane, and even covered his chin and lined the underside of his muzzle like a beard. His eyes were dark in color, and they were behind a pair of square glasses. He was wearing a suit of a sickly-green coloration, and wore a purple tie.

"She is giving them a whole lot of information, Boivin." Catlow, the cat, said to the big bull, to which Boivin answered:

"Yes, but she still has not give them truly sensitive information." He spoke, "It sounds to me that she is only giving them general notions of how our society works."

"This is just as bad!" Sanders said, "Mages are supposed to be a secret!"

"Don't we all agreed that it was no longer possible?" Lykins said, as he was standing in a way that he was trying to find the best angle to look at the screen of the computer, "We all have agreed that keeping ourselves a secret was no longer an option?"

"Still, it does not gives her the right to go and spill the beans to whoever want to hear it." Catlow said. "Who is this Zillah Ferron anyway?"

"She is of the Ferron clan, a recent and three generation family of mage ferrets." Jelel said, as he looked at the screen without showing any form of emotion. "You would know that if you had payed attention to what was being said."

Catlow gave a glare at the deer, and his eyes even seemed to glow for a moment. However, the deer completely ignored him, as his attention was turn to the screen of the technological device.

"I'm sure she must have her reasons to do what she is doing now." Vanhorne said, as she still looked at the screen, and right by her side, Mustang was speaking:

"Her reasons better be really good, otherwise she will surely be considered a criminal for doing that. There are laws about this kind of thing."

"Laws that may have to be revised." Mieczyslaw said as he had to stretch his neck to be able to see the screen. "Just like she said. After all, it seems that our situation is changing, so our laws must have to change to match."

"But the laws have not changed yet." Mustang insisted.

"I'm amazed at how well she looks on the screen." Maskell said as he leaned over to look better at the screen. He was among the ones who were standing on the table, along with Sanders and Catlow, as they were the smaller mammals on the table, and they would have trouble to see the screen of they were merely standing on the ground. "That light they are using really favors her, and they are surely catching her in the best angles.

Sanders and Catlow, as well as a few more mages who were standing, looked at Maskell with a glare that verged on being murderous. It seemed that some of them were ready to say a few more words to the raccoon, when the voice of Calves snapped them out of it by calling their attention.

"My friends, if you are done with your personal discussions and opinions on that matter, I do believe that the interview is not over yet, and that, for the shake of following the line of thought, we all should keep attention to it.

That was what it took for all of the thirteen members of the council, plus the reindeer who brought the laptop in, once more lean forward to look at the screen.

* * *

"So, new members of the council are elected by the older members. That does sound like a system that actually works." Vicky said, as she looked at Zillah. "Still, I assume that they must have some parameters that they use to select new members. Like, lets say, if that specific mage is responsible and honored enough to be trusted with a position of such power. Also, by the way you speak, it seem that the power of a mage influences into their political power, so, I assume that it might also be a factor that helps into being elected."

"Well, there are standards to electing a member of the Council." Zillah confirmed. "After all, it is not like anyone should occupy a position like that. The ones who are elected are not only responsible and honored, but they are also individuals of great fame in the world of magecraft, and they must be famous for their dedication to our community and to our goals and ideals… at least, in theory."

"As for being powerful, yeah, that is also standard. After all, you have to consider that all of the members of the Council are Archmages."

"Archmages, huh?" Vicky asked. "Well, I assume that this means that they are quite powerful as mages."

"They surely are." Zillah said, and after a moment of thought, she added:

"Well, I guess that for you to understand better, I should explain to you the rankings that the Association uses."

"Please do." Vicky said to her, wanting the topic to be better developed for the shake of her interview. Soon, the ferret was speaking again:

"In order to grade the capacity that one has a mage, the Association has developed a ranking system, with specific rankings letting others know how skilled and powerful you are in terms of being a mage." Zillah said as she explained that, "The lowest rank used is the rank of **Frame**. It is the level of the complete beginners, you know, the ones who just started learning and are still greenhorns. This is the ranking in which the put the young ones who just started to learn, or those who actually know nearly nothing. This rank is also called '**youngest child**'."

"Right above it, is the rank of **Count**, which some also call '**oldest child**', which is the ranking above a greenhorn. They are more skilled and able to do more than those of the previous ranking, however, they still have not finished their studies and have not stablished their skills completely. I am in this ranking myself." Zillah said, and she was not afraid to admit that she was still not fully-grown as a mage, and she continued:

"Right above this ranking, we reach the rank of **Cause**, which some refer to as '**open**' rank. It is the level in which a mage is consider 'fully matured', having stablished their magecraft and their foundations. Among mages, reaching his ranking is considered the same as being graduated in a school, as you have learned all of the basic needed to be considered an adult and able to live in the world." Zillah explained, and she saw that Vicky was paying a great deal of attention, and she hoped that the others who saw the interview would also be so interested. "While this level is considered 'average' among mages, it is considered a feat to reach this level at all."

Vicky nodded, as she was finding the explanation very interesting. Zillah continued:

"Above this, is the rank of **Fes**, also referred to as '**festival**', this is a rank that is above Cause, and is what some consider when you have surpassed the level of 'being matured and with a stablished and matured magecraft'. It not the highest level, but it is nothing to scoff at. Reaching this level requires true talent and intelligence, about as much as it would take for someone to graduate on college and get an advanced degree. It is a level that represents talented mages that have reached a level that puts them above average."

"Continuing to go above, there is the ranking of **Pride**, also called by some of rank of '**law**'. It is a ranking that represents a mage who is truly exceptional. Reaching this kind of ranking is not something easy, and not many have managed to reach it in this generation, and doing so is considered an admirable feat. Many say that a clan of mages would be lucky to have a mage of this level as the head of the family, for someone of this level would someone of such power and talent that they would surely be able to achieve great feats in life, and to build a solid and lasting foundation for their descendants."

"And, above Pride, we have the ranking of **Brand**, also referred to as a '**color**' rank. It is a level reached by those rare geniuses. It is a level said to be reach by the talented lords of the Association, although this ranking is actually rarer to achieve, due to it representing the best of the best. Still, there are mages like that around there, mages who have reached this level. It is said that someone on this level of talent and skill would be able to revolutionize an entire field of magecraft merely by existing. It is also said that only a couple hundred mages have achieved this level in the entire two thousand years of the history of the Association."

"Wow… those are some rankings." Vicky said, admired with all the information, but she still had not gotten the proper answer that she wanted. "Now, where does an Archmage goes in this?"

"**Archmage** is not really a ranking, but more of a title." Zillah said to her. "It is an 'unofficial ranking' that is given to mages of the Pride and Brand ranks, and that symbolizes them as individuals of immense talent. Now, while only a few of those in the rank of Pride can be considered Archmages, all those in the Brand rank are Archmages. To be an Archmage means having a level of power, talent, knowledge and skill that surpasses all other mages."

"There fifty Archmages all around the world, and this includes the members of the Council." Zillah explained, "That is why they have so much influence, and that is why no one wants to defy them. Not directly, at least. Because the Council is formed by mages of this title. Because the Mage Council, that runs and rules the Association, is formed by thirteen of the fifty most powerful mages alive."

"Wow…" Was all that Vicky could formulate as an answer to that. This was quite the information, and it helped shed a better light on the hierarchy and methods that mages used to get things done. Pretty much like everything else into this interview was doing.

"It sounds like the Council is not to mess with."

"They sure are not." Zillah confirmed. "They are some of the most powerful mages of the world, and they are totally focused in the good of the Association, or so they say… That is why they are in charge of being the heads, even because we need strong leaders to deal with the other organizations out there."

"Other organizations?" Vicky asked, the subject catching her attention. "So, there are other organizations out there besides the Mage's Association?"

Zillah nodded.

"Indeed, there are. The **moonlit world** is a wide world hidden right behind the common world that all non-mages and the common public knows. There are all kinds of things happening in there. We have had big conflicts and wars right behind the curtain that separates our world from yours." The ferret girl explained, "The Association is a big organization, but of course it is not the only one."

"I see. And these organizations enter in conflict with the Association?" Vicky asked, "Are some of them as powerful as the Association itself?"

"Well, yeah, they do enter in conflict with the Association in one occasion in another, but few of them are actually powerful enough to clash with the Association." Zillah explained, "Among them, I guess that the most meaningful would be the Church."

"The Church?" Vicky asked, "As in, the Catholic Church?"

"Yes, the same one, you know, Vatican, the Pope, this stuff." Zillah said, and she knew that for some that would probably be a bomb. "The **Holy Church** is a very powerful organization that has been at odds with the Association ever since it was founded."

"So, that means the Church actually knew that the supernatural existed?" Vicky asked, "They knew and they kept it a secret from the world?"

"Oh, they sure did." Zillah said, as she was already imagining that some people who heard about that would be outraged with the Church for keeping a secret like that. However, she knew that she should continue.

"Now, in defense of the Church, not every priest in the world was informed of that. There is an internal hierarchy within it, and only those who have been selected to join their inner circles were informed of the existence of the supernatural."

"Now, the Church has always had many goals, and among them, was the one of destroy heresy, and ever since the beginning, magecraft was considered a form of heresy." Zillah explained, "I believe it was mostly because back in the time mages did a lot of wrong things, like using mammals as sacrifices and casting curses on others for fun. Anyway, ever since then, the Church had the mission of fighting 'heretics', as they called mages, and to protect the common public from the actions of 'evil beings' like us. I'm pretty sure you have heard about the witch hunts that happened across Roarope, right?" Zillah asked, and the expression of the vixen said that she had, and the ferret soon was continuing:

"Of course, our relations improved a bit after the Codex was stablished three hundred years ago, and now… well, now we have a truce going on. They don't come after us so long as we do not represent a threat to it or to innocents. Their faithful followers and believers in particular."

"Wow… that is… something." Vicky admitted. "So, the Church actually has the power to clash with the Association?"

"They are one of the oldest and most powerful organizations of the world." Vicky said to her. "They have a lot of followers, and they even have their own army. Not to mention that, over the course of the centuries, they developed their own way to clash head to head with mages, and these methods are… pretty efficient."

Vicky nodded at this. This was indeed very interesting. Vicky had the feeling that her views in the church have somehow changed at this. Zillah continued:

"Now, another organization that also had a lot of power is the **Technocracy**." She said, and this once more caught the attention of the vixen, who listened intently to her words. "Now, as you probably can guess for their name, they are an organization that deals with science. Now, they also clashed with the Association a lot, especially during the times of the Renascence, when they acquired a lot of power."

"While the Church are devote followers of the religion, the Technocracy are all devoted of science. They have worked for a long time to advance science and to help advance society." Zillah explained. "Now, they classify themselves in a light different from mages, even though they have pretty much the same skills."

"Yes, the technocrats have Magic Circuits like us, but they refer to them as **quantic circuits**. Also, they have their own branch of thaumaturgy, which they call '**enlightened science**'." Zillah explained, looking at the vixen. She then stopped for a moment and chuckled. "I'm sure that they will see this, and they will probably get furious about me making this comparison. But truth is, what they do is a form of magecraft, by the definitions of the Association. Still, they are far more in tune with actual science than any mage would like to be, as they work in developing science and technology. Some say that their ultimate goal is to replace magecraft with technology, and this, of course, is not something that don't really pleases many mages, especially the older and most traditional mages."

"We also have a truce with them, but there are many who want to clash with them." Zillah concluded, and Vicky nodded.

"So, we have magecraft, religion, and science." The vixen recapitulated. "It seems to me like a trinity of shorts. So, these are the only organizations in the… 'moonlit world'?"

"Well, these three are surely the most meaningful, but they are not the only ones." Zillah explained. "There are other organizations out there. Also, there are other mage governments that are quite meaningful. Namely, the Middle East and the Chinese."

"Oh?" Vicky said, now once more interested into the conversation, and Zillah was soon developing the topic.

"The influence of the Association goes far, but it does not reach all places. There is a difficulty into dealing with other governments of mages. For instance, the mages of the Middle East practice a branch of magecraft that is completely incompatible with the ones that are practiced by the Association, in a way that it cannot be integrated to their teachings and philosophies."

"Also, there are the Chinese mages, who have thaumaturgical philosophies that do not fit the ones preached by the Association, including the replacement of the four classic elements and the fifth element of void with their own five elements: **earth**, **water**, **fire**, **wood** and **metal**." The ferret explained. "So, not only their teachings do not fit the ones of the Association, but they also reject what the Association practices and preaches. As a result of that, there has always been a mutual hostility between these three governments. I could tell you about the stories I heard about the conflicts that ensued..."

"Well, anyway, nowadays we have a non-aggression agreement, pretty much like we do with the Church and the Technocracy. Still, the animosity is still there, and it is quite hard for the Association to act in their territories. You see, these locations have their own versions of the Association and even their own models of government. I even heard that China has its own version of a Mage Council. They truly are completely independent from the Association."

"Well, that makes sense." Vicky asked, "There are other locations in which the Association has trouble to act?"

"Nippon." Zillah admitted. "It is also hard to act in Nippon. They also have their own system of government, based on some old traditions of the place. Of course, they don't flat out reject the Association's teachings like the Chinese mages do, but the Nipponese mages surely don't go forming ties with the Association as they have their own form of organizations in there."

"I also heard that recently the Association has started some initiatives that aim to improve the relations with Nippon. Can't tell if they are really working, though." Zillah concluded, and Vicky could only nod at all that was just said.

"So, it seems to me that the Association is the most influent organization of mages of the world." Vicky said, stating that fact that seemed to have become obvious. "But it is not the only one. There are Chinese and Nipponese ones. This makes me wonder if there are yet other organizations out there. Maybe minor ones, some that exist but cannot fully compete with the Association on their own terms."

Zillah looked at her, and nodded.

"Yeah, there surely are." The ferret confirmed. "The Association cannot be everywhere at once. There are limits to the amount of influence that it can exercise, even in areas that are, supposedly, their own territory."

"Of course, their influence is absolute in England, where their headquarters are, and very strong in the lands of Roarope. However the farther it goes, the harder it is to keep influence." Zillah explained, "It is very hard to keep their influence in distant lands that are across the sea, like Astroala and Animerica. Sure, they are officially under their influence, and many mage clans of these places are associated, but these places are still so far that it is hard to manage them properly. This, of course, open space for other organizations to have influence over the place."

"There are a lot of minor mage organizations out there. Here in Animerica. In Astroala. In the far corners of Afurika. Even in places of Roarope. These minors organizations surely have no hope of opposing the Association directly, but they are able to keep influence over certain territories by taking advantage that the Association cannot be in all places at all time, and that they usually give no attention to the 'little guys' out there, as they are too busy with more important matters, like keeping the non-aggression agreements, improving their relations, and helping on it's own growth." Zillah concluded, and Vicky could only nod at all of this.

"So, it does sound that the Association has a lot of work keeping relations with other organizations." The vixen said, and the ferret nodded.

"I'll say. There had been some pretty bloody conflicts in the past." Zillah said to her, remembering what she had heard and what she had read about the subjects. "We all know that they might actually start again. That is why the Association is also focus in the defense of itself and its members in the case of a conflict with all of these organizations. Not to mention that we need to be ready to defend ourselves against the possible persecutions of the common public."

"You mean… like in the protests and attacks that have been happening in the past months?" Vicky asked, and Zillah nodded at this.

"Yeah, mammals can be quite intolerant, and that are some out there who want to get rid of everything that they consider a taboo. Magecraft included." Zillah said, and a silence has followed these words. That was before the ferret once more decided that it was time to continue:

"Anyway, for this reason the Association also develops their own military force. Hence is why they have the wizard marshals. The Enforcers, while working more as our police, can also double as our army, as they are trained and skilled in combat. Not to mention the many groups of elite fighters that the Association trains and maintains, all to be ready in the advent of a great threat." Zillah said, and Vicky looked at her.

"It really sounds like you are ready for a war." The vixen mentioned

"We are ready to defend ourselves." Zillah said, and she knew that many could be nervous in reaction to what she was saying. However, it was something that needed to be said, for everyone needed to understand what was going on. They needed to understand that the situation was serious, and that it could escalate. They needed to know that the Association was truly ready for a war, and that the results could be catastrophic. That was something that was necessary.

Vicky remained in silence for a while and she could almost feel the anxiety in the members of her own group. The words of the ferret, though brief, surely had an impact. They would probably have the very same impact once they were transmitted in television. Some mammals could get really nervous at that, and that was for sure.

"So, the Association seems like it puts a lot of effort in increasing their strength." Vicky said, wanting to move forward with the subject to avoid dwelling in it more than it was really necessary.

"Yeah, they do a lot of effort in acquiring more power; in the case they ever need it." Zillah admitted. "I guess this is part of the reason why they have the school."

"Oh, a school?" Vicky asked, the information truly catching her attention. "You mean, the Association actually sponsors a school for mages? Like-"

"Please, don't say Hogwarts." Zillah said, quickly cutting the vixen, but she soon continued.

"But, yes, the Association has a school of its own, to be able to teach future generations of mages."

"Now, due to the nature of how mages conduct their craft, the teaching normally is kept within the family." Zillah explained, wanting to avoid any form of misunderstanding. "It is common for mages to be home schooled at least during part of their lives. The teachings of the family, especially the most of their own personal crafts, is made within their own households, with the young mages learning from their own parents, who learned from their parents. That was how I learned my own craft. I was homeschooled all of my life, and while I could not socialize with mammals my age, I did learned all that my father could teach me of magecraft."

"Still, the Association has a policy of offering teachings to the children of associated families. This is something that diverges from the traditions that are prior to the establishment of this, but it was deemed as something very advantageous, for the families could send their young to have classes with teachers approved by the Association, giving them the chance to learn theories and methods with some of the best mages of the world, while the Association gets to ensure the teaching and development of future members."

"I see…" Vicky said, "Well, I can only assume that these teachers must be very qualified."

"They are." Zillah confirmed, "Many of them are lords of the Association, or at least they are individuals who have reached great accomplishments within the Association."

"Oh, so the lords dispose of their time to teach others?" Vicky asked, and Zillah nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that many of them do it because they know that, deep down, they gain something from it." Zillah admitted, "After all, it is normal for students to admire their teachers. If someone has taught you, and helped you become a matured and strong mage, you will obviously be loyal to them. Not as much as you would to your own family, but still, you will probably own them something. I guess that many of the instructors and mentors of the academic part of the Association are hoping that their students will remember that they had helped them grow and will be thankful to them, maybe even returning the favor in one way or another."

Vicky had listened to it closely, and she could see the logic in this kind of reasoning.

"I see… still, it seems to me that the students also get the chance to learn from the best, for what you told me."

"Yeah, they sure do." She said to the vixen. "In fact, there is an instructor in particular who is very famous. They say that he is the best of all instructors, and that everyone who studied with him became a top mage… He is a member of the Council, you know?"

"Oh, you mean, one of the most powerful mages of the world?" Vicky asked, and Zillah nodded.

"Yeah, he is very smart and he is a top lecturer. I really do hope I get to study with him when… if I get accepted in there."

"Oh… I see." Vicky said, "Well, don't lecturing gets on the way of his duties as a member of the Council? I mean, he would have to go from the school back to the headquarters to reunite with the Council."

"Well, that is not really a problem." Zillah said with a smile, "You see, the headquarters and the school are both in the same place. Yes, they teach the future generations of mages in the same place where the headquarters of the Association are. The same place where the lords do their functions and have their laboratories and workshops where they conduct their researches. I assume it is like that for the shake of convenience of the lecturers, who just need to do a short of walk from their classrooms to their laboratories and to their own habitations. They might even visit the dorms of the students in one occasion or another, but I heard that they rarely do such thing."

Vicky nodded, and soon, she was asking yet another question:

"So, it is a boarding school, right? The students all live and sleep in there while they are studying?"

"They sure do." Zillah confirmed. "Parents do send their kits across seas to England so they have a chance to study with the best in the Association. They remain in there for years as they continue their studies. Of course, most of the students there are teenagers, or around my age, after all, it is a place for you to truly specialize in being a mage."

"And it is just like any school?" She asked, "They have a summer break and everything?"

"They have some break periods." Zillah admitted. "It is just like most schools, instead that they teach alchemy and about mystical beasts instead of chemistry and biology. They give a uniform for you to use. There are schedules to the classes. They give you homework and assignments for you to do. There are great ceremonies both to welcome new students and to congratulate the ones graduating. You even have to do a test to prove to them that you do deserve to study in there, except in occasions where an influent instructor specifically brings you there to be their student."

"I see… they also have other things you usually see in schools? Like sports teams, drama club, or prom night?"

"Yeah, not quite." Zillah said, "Mages are not quite to focus on sports. We also don't encourage clubs and these things, we are too focused on our studies for that. The lecturers pass a lot of assignments to the students, and even when they are not busy making them, they still are encourage to use any free time that they have into studying more and getting better as mages. But you can imagine how many of them actually do that…" Zillah added the last part with a little humor, and this caused both female to chuckle, as Vicky could perfectly picture it.

"Well, that is basically this about the Association." Zillah concluded. "At least, all that I can tell. Yeah, I'm not telling you the location of the headquarters/school of the Association, and neither I'll give you a briefing of their classes."

"After all" Zillah said, with a smile in her muzzle "We are still mages, and we need to have at least a few secrets."

The way she spoke was as if she was speaking something to be proud of, and Vicky could understand that.

The interview was being fascinating so far. They had talked about what it meant to be a mage, about the differences between magecraft and magic, about the way that mages governed and managed themselves. This was all really fascinating, and it would surely be a memorable story.

Still…

There was one thing that has been on Vicky's mind for a while now, and that she felt like she should ask, even though it would be a very sensitive subject. After all, it was important.

"So, I guess this was basically all that this interview could cover." Vicky said, and Zillah nodded back, however, the vixen continued.

"But, before we end. There is one more thing I need to ask of you, if you think you can answer…"

The expression in Vicky's face was serious, and it made Zillah be just as serious, especially after she asked:

"I want to ask you about **The Darkest Hour**…"

* * *

**And the third part of The Interview is done.**

**Wew!**

**This one was a bit of a dozy. Hope you guys still have breath left, for there is still one more coming.**

**Meanwhile, I'd like to us this chance to present to you some translations of the terms used here:**

**_PawStation - PlayStation_**

**_Animerica – America_**

**_Afurika – Africa_**

**_Roarope – Europe_**

**_Nippon – Japan (an actual word, for 'Nippon' is the traditional name that Japanese people use for their own country)_**

**_Astroala – Australia (taken from another fanfiction, written by Empressimperia, called "Zootopia: File 2", go give it a read, it is a good one, and also served as inspiration for me for certain elements that you guys will see later on…)_**

**Thank you so much for following this story until this point, I hope you guys enjoy it, and I hope that the next chapters are for your liking.**

**Please, Read & Review, and no flaming.**


	19. The Interview - Conclusion

Zootopia was a city of great proportions.

It was a place that was built to welcome and house all manners of mammals. As a result, it was a city that was big and bursting with life and movement. One of the qualities that made the city stand out were the climate walls, which were developed as a way of allowing mammals of different climates to live in the city without problems. It was what made Tundratown and Sahara Square possible, as it allowed for mammals of tundra and desert to be able to live in there, as they had access to their right climate.

It also had Rainforest District made out by giant live trees and an artificial irrigation system, which made possible to recreate with perfection the environment of a Rainforest, for the animals accustomed to live there.

Other districts composed the city, including the Canal District, which was made for mammals who had a semi-aquatic lifestyle, like otters and beavers; and also the Nocturnal District, which was famous for being a shadowy place, manner of all kinds of mammals, and also for being the district with the highest crime rate of the entire city.

Each one of these artificial ecosystems interacted with each other, and they allowed for the animals of Zootopia to be able to live in this big city, as they were all hold together by the central part of this city: Savanna Central.

Savanna Central was truly the heart of Zootopia, being the main industrial and residential area of the city. It was the place where resided most of the big buildings and businesses, and it was where all of the animals from the other districts converged during the day or night, before they were to go back to their natural habitats to rest and enjoy their natural place.

It was truly the central piece of the city, once it was at that very place where the ancestors of predator and prey first gathered to live together in harmony (as far as the stories told). It was also where were housed many key buildings of the city, including the City Hall, the Precinct 1 of the ZPD, and the Central Station.

The Central Station, in particular, was something that usually was bursting with life, for it was where all the mammals of the city went to move into the many trains in and out of the city. It was possible to see all types of mammals in there, from residents going into the trains to go into other parts of the city, to all manners of newcomers that came to the city, either to live in it or to make some tourism.

As they walked in, all of them could see the main square of Zootopia, and they were greeted with a bursting city into their view, which welcomed them all into the city. Quite literally, actually, once the main square just outside of the Central Station also counted with a huge digital billboard that showed the likeness of no one other than Gazelle, the Jewel of Zootopia, posing and welcoming anyone who was coming into the city.

Of course, it didn't only showed Gazelle all the time, as this giant billboard also showed other things, like commercials that industries and companies got to show in there by buying some time. It would also occasionally show something interesting that was passing on the channels, which the ones in charge thought was worth showing in such a big place and that was seen by so much mammals.

It was the case of a special interview that the ZNN was showing on that very evening, and that was being televised all over Zootopia, and that was now being showed into that big place for everyone who was walking across Savanna Central.

As it did, it was a matter of time for it to catch the attention of many mammals walking into the street, causing them to look up at the great digital screens to see the interview. In no time there was a huge crowd reunited in Savanna Central. A crowd formed by the many mammals who had left the work and were about to catch the train back home, who were arriving in the city and had their attention caught by the news, or by those who were only walking into Downtown to take care of some other business.

The crowd of mammals watched the interview developing, and each one had their own opinion of what they were seeing and of what was spoke in there. However, their reactions were pretty much consistent as the ferret in the screens spoke about what it meant to be a mage. Then when she explained the differences between magecraft and Magic, culminating into speaking about the ultimate goal of all mages to one day reach the "Swirl of the Root". Also, they continued all showed a great deal of interest when she explained about the Association, about their laws and policies.

The interview was turning out to be fascinating, as the entire crowd seemed to be almost hypnotized as they looked at the giant digital billboards.

"_After all._" The ferret on the digital screens said, a smile in her muzzle. "_We are still mages, and we need to have at least a few secrets._"

The mammals looked at the screen, some of them recording it in their cellphones, while others talked among themselves about all that was said up until now. Meanwhile, the interview continued:

"_So, I guess this was basically all that this interview could cover… But, before we end, there is one more thing I need to ask to you, if you think you can answer…_" The vixen, Victoria Vulpen, said to the ferret, and her face was serious, and the face fo the ferret also had become serious, especially when the vixen said to her:

"_I want to ask you about the **Darkest Hour**…_" the vixen said, and silence took hold of everything.

All the mammals in the crowd were now on their toes as they looked into the screens, looking and listening carefully.

"_Well, it is a question that I feel I need to ask._" The vixen said, as both her and the ferret had a serious expression in their faces as they appeared together in the screen. "_After all, it seems that it all started on the day that disaster happened with Fangtropolis._"

The crowd continued to look, as the vixen on the screen continued.

"_Now, Zillah._" The vixen said, "_Can you tell us if that event was caused by mages?_"

"_I'm not accusing you or your people of having done that on purpose, and neither I want to use it against you in any way._" The vixen clarified, as she continued to look at the ferret, "_But it is a question that I have to ask, because it is a source of great debate among everyone, from conspiracy theorists to more… serious individuals._"

The vixen had a serious expression, but at the same time it was friendly, as if she was trying to support the ferret, as she continued:

"_Everyone is saying that mages had something to do with that. That they had somehow caused that. Truth is, we are not sure of what was that event that was the start of it all, in the opinion of a few. So you, who are a mage, could clarify everything to us." _She asked, and the ferret continued to look at her with a sad, somber look.

The crowd was now holding its breath, as they waited for the question to be truly asked, and possibly answered by someone who could actually say something for sure about the matter.

"_Zillah…_" Vicky said, "_What happened in Fangtropolis? Did mages had anything to do with that?_"

* * *

That was a good question.

It was one that Zillah preferred to avoid, but it was a good one.

Of course Victoria Vulpen was going to ask that question. Of course she would ask something that everyone had been asking themselves for a while now.

The Darkest Hour truly _was_ the start of everything. It was the moment when the world first witnessed the clues that magecraft was real, and it was, according to the website, the reason why they wanted to expose magecraft, for it all began with the Darkest Hour.

There were all kinds of theories that were going on about what that event actually was, but it seemed that everyone had agreed that the event was somehow caused by mages. They just didn't knew how exactly mages related to what had happened, and this, of course, opened room for a lot of speculation, some of it actually quite reasonable, and some of it just sheer non-sense. But most of it seemed to be putting mages into a worse light, as they said that it was rather an experiment or even that they did it for fun.

Zillah didn't liked that question, in part because she had saw that event through television like everyone, and it was not something pleasant to see. She didn't liked it because it would bring about something that others might find a way to twist and to use it to make the situation even worse.

However, Zillah knew that if she did not answered such a direct and meaningful question, it would be worse. It would be clear that she was hiding something very specific about the event, and this would open room for more speculation and mistrust. However, she knew that if she told them everything, it would implicate very serious repercussions, for there were a lot of things that she knew that was better to keep secret.

At least for now.

She knew she could not dodge the question, but she also knew that explaining everything would raise many more questions.

So, Zillah had made a decision. She was going to tell what she could.

"That event…" The ferret girl said, "The one which everyone is referring to as 'Darkest Hour', was the result of magecraft getting out of control."

"So, it _was_ caused by mages?" Vicky asked, and Zillah looked at her for a few moments, before she sighed.

"It was caused by a group of mages." Zillah explained. "But, I really don't believe that any of them ever wanted that to happen. It was just a result of everything going out of control."

"Everything what?" Vicky asked, "Was it some kind of ritual? What were these mages doing to provoke such a thing to happen?"

Zillah looked at her, and then at the camera, and she was wondering what everyone who saw it would think. Well, she was going to explain it the best way she could, for all of them.

So, she took a deep breath, and started explaining:

"As I already explained, there is magecraft, which can be practiced in day to day life by any mage who has enough skill. However, there is a higher class of mystery, something that is considered an essential step into reaching True Magic. We refer to them as **Greater Rituals**, but we also call them simply **High Thaumaturgy**."

Zillah made a pause, as if to let everyone who was hearing her, and who would hear her, to absorb the information.

"This level of mystery is considered to be only one or two steps away of being on the level of Sorcery, being the 'ultimate challenge' that is needed to attain the power that can come from True Magic. They are the culmination of centuries, or even millennia of studies and preparations, until they became something that could be actualize and used by the most powerful among us."

"These types of mystery diverge from common magecraft not only for their power and for what they can achieve, but also by the fact that they require preparation, as they need specific and long rituals, require a great deal of power… and for the fact that the greatest of them cannot be performed by a single mage alone."

Another silence followed these words, as Vicky looked at the ferret, expecting the next words that she was going to say, and Zillah continued:

"Four months ago" the ferret mage said, "A group of mages gathered in the city of Fangtropolis. Their goal was to perform a High Thaumaturgy ritual that possessed an amazing power, and if completed, would grant to someone a power beyond belief, maybe even allowing them to acquire True Magic."

"And, this ritual was what caused the Darkest Hour?" Vicky asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Yes, it did." Zillah admitted. "Although, it was never supposed to do anything like that… at least in theory."

"So, it means something went wrong…" Vicky concluded, and she looked at the ferret, "Could you tell us what it was?"

The ferret looked at her for a moment or two, before continuing:

"Not really… I only know this ritual from rumors and gossip, but I know that it involves a lot of factors that are unpredictable in and on themselves, and there is actually a great chance of it running out of control and producing unpredictable results." Zillah explained, and she continued:

"I cannot tell what went wrong, but I can tell that the event that happened in Fangtropolis, the one that resulted in the destruction of the city and all of those deaths, was because the ritual went out of control. That is really all that I can say."

Vicky was silent for a few moments, and she then continued:

"So it was all an accident?" The vixen asked the ferret. "All of that? All of these deaths? All of the disaster that was transmitted live on television for everyone was the result of a mistake made during the realization of a ritual?"

Another silence followed this, as Zillah reflected on what to say. However, she knew that she had to say something.

"Magecraft is a field of study." She said, "And as any field of study, it has space for experimentation and development. This also means that it has space for error and failure. This ritual that they performed was first created centuries ago, and in the times it was performed… well, let's just say that this ritual has always been one that was difficult to control, and sometimes there have even been debates that this ritual should be forbidden."

"But, I guess that the promise of power that the ritual gave was something that was far too good for it to be forbidden." Zillah continued, sighing, "Mages are ambitious, as you must have already realized by what I told you, and a ritual that would allow them to have the power to do anything they please truly is something that we all dream about. Some of us even desire to achieve this power for noble causes, but in the end, we all search for power."

"That is part of being a mage." Zillah concluded. "And that was the reason why those mages gathered and performed that ritual. That was the reason why they all took a risk in performing such a dangerous and unpredictable ritual. That was how it all went out of control, and resulted in a disaster that costed many lives."

* * *

As the interview progressed, everyone was watching it.

We are not only talking about the general public, but also some mammals who also deal with this kind of thing.

Yes, other newspapers and other news channels were watching the interview. After all, these things were not so competitive that they would completely ignore what the competitors were doing, especially if they were as influent as the ZNN and if they were providing a story as interesting as that one.

Many channels had their eyes on the exclusive story that the ZNN was presenting, many of them were a mess as they were now looking at what they were going to do to reflect what was happening. Yes, because they could no longer beat the ZNN in the news, but they could look for presenting the story as well, for their own loyal public.

Of course, it was demanding a lot of focus and hard work from them.

On Channel 8, for instance:

"Where the hell is the science guy?" Someone screamed.

"Have they finished writing down the story now?" Someone else said loudly, "We need to start presenting right after the ZNN does! Two minutes later, at most!"

"Do we have some graphics ready?"

"Why graphics?"

"I don't know! They say that anything is better with graphics!"

The main office of Channel 8 was a mess, as mammals were running from side to side as they were looking for someone, taking something to someone, or looking to do something. Some of them were screaming at each other. They were all looking to have it in order so they could match the ZNN when it was their turn to explain that story.

Of course, all the while, there was a television in there that was showing the ZNN in real time, allowing them to see the interview as it was transmitted. Some mammals had reunited in there as they watched the news unfold.

Among them, there were three in particular that were looking with interest at the news that were being presented.

"I still can't believe it." Jasmine said, as the zebra looked at the screen.

"So, the whole thing was caused by some mages who screwed up with a ritual they were doing, huh?" Gilda said; she was looking with a lot of interest at the news, along with a few others in there.

"And so many have died in that… And all because someone wanted more power! This is absurd!" Jasmine said, and Gilda sighed.

"Not that surprising, actually." The bear said, "If there is one thing that I learned that is that there are a lot of mammals out there who only want to benefit themselves, no matter who has to take the fall. This is a sad reality of the world, and it seems that it also applies to mages."

Jasmine didn't answered, and Gilda continued.

"Well, it seems that it is finally officially confirmed that the Darkest Hour was an event of supernatural origins… Guess the boss will finally stop pulling your tail, Henry."

The dog didn't said anything in return, as he only continued to look at the screen. He was looking with a lot of interest, as well as the rest of the ones in there, and all the while, he was quiet. Unusually quiet for a mammal like himself. This caused Gilda to be a little suspicious…

Meanwhile, the interview continued, and the mammals who were gathered around the tv continued to watch it. Either so they would know better the story when it was their turn to present it, or to sate their own personal interest. All the while the rest of the guys in Channel 8 got ready to go along the ride of this very special and game-changing story…

* * *

"I see… well, I guess that can be understood, almost…" Vicky said, taking in everything that Zillah had just told. "But, that does not changes the fact that this ritual that they done costed the lives of eight million innocent mammals. Male, female and kits alike." Vicky continued, and she looked at the ferret.

"There are laws about killing others in moonlit world, right? This means that if these mammals have caused all of these deaths, even if by accident, then they will need to answer for all of this, right?"

Zillah looked at the vixen as she made that question, and she knew that the vixen was right, she nodded.

"Yes, indeed. From what I've heard, the Council has already decided to emit sealing designations for all of them. If they are ever spotted and caught by the Enforcers, then they are sure to face the worst type of punishment for the event that they caused… that is, if they are alive."

"Oh, you mean they might have died in the event they caused themselves?" Vicky asked, and Zillah looked back at her.

"Would that be a surprise?" She asked. "After all, everyone saw just how terrible was that disaster. It would not really be a surprise that the mages who performed the ritual have lost their lives…" Zillah said, and Vicky thought for a moment that she could notice something strange in the way that the ferret said that, but she had not time to reflect on that, for Zillah soon was continuing her reasoning:

"The Association has been keeping an eye for any signs of these mages. They have been following their footsteps, and they even contacted and monitored their clans, as to see if they would try to reach for them, but they have not made any contact with them ever since… There was even an Enforcer in Fangtropolis that was sent to supervise the ritual and keep watch in those mages, but he also has not been heard about ever since… All of them are considered missing. Many are even considering them dead…"

Vicky nodded at this, and she decided to continue with the interview.

"I see… so, I guess that you cannot really tell us what went wrong in the ritual, once you weren't there."

Zillah looked at her, and she sighed.

"Yeah, it is really hard to say what goes on in events like that." The ferret continued. "I cannot tell you exactly what went wrong in the ritual, but I can tell for sure that it was because the mages started to fight each other."

"Fight each other?" Vicky asked, "You mean, in the middle of the ritual?"

"It is actually something expected." Zillah admitted, and she looked as if she was admitting a shameful thing. "Mages don't work well together, sometimes not even with their own relatives. Of course, this ritual involves mages getting together and working in a team to reach a great goal, but eventually it ends into mages turning on each other."

"I can tell you some pretty gory stories of mages who have turned on each other, fighting each other and trying to cheat and defeat each other only so they could get the benefits all for themselves, especially in rituals like that." Zillah said it to her. "Actually, I can tell you for sure that the mages who have reunited in there were already prepared to fight each other so only one of them could benefit from the ritual."

"Wow…" was all that Vicky was capable of saying in answer to this. She took a few more moments to be able to find out the words to continue the interview:

"Well, sorry, but this does not makes a lot of sense to me." The vixen admitted. "I mean, why work together in this ritual if they would end up fighting each other? Couldn't they all work together to the end and all of them get the benefits?"

Zillah looked at her for a moment, and she sighed.

"This is not how it works among mages." Zillah said, "We are ambitious and envious, and if we see a benefit, most of us will want to get it all for ourselves. Most mages are like that. That is sad, but it is truth."

Vicky was a bit silent at this.

"I guess I can understand but, fighting each other for it?"

"Mages always fight each other." Zillah said to her. "Ever since the old times, mages tended to solve their problems through violence. Even in modern day, duels are pretty common among mages, and seen as a way of solving disputes and personal issues."

Vicky was a bit taken back by this revelation. She looked at the ferret, and soon she was asking:

"Duels? You mean… mages actually fight themselves as a normal thing?"

"It is considered part of our lives." Zillah said, "One of the factors that helps rank a mage is how well they can use their magecraft in combat. This is something that comes from the old times when mages could be killed at any moment by their enemies, so all mages have at least a bit of combat training…" Zillah stopped for a moment, and she chuckled. "I remember something that my grandfather told me once: '_Zillah, a mage cannot be considered a fully matured mage until they have had at least one duel in their lives_'."

Vicky looked at her for a few moments, as this kind of information was meaningful.

"So… these duels are something common?" She looked at the ferret "In these duels, it is normal for a mage to fight with all they have? Is it normal for someone to end up seriously hurt?"

"Sometimes…" Zillah said, "Of course, the times have changed since the Codex. Duels still take place among mages, but there are now regulations for the duels to minimize the chance of things going bad. But, even with all of these preparations, sometimes things get out of paw. There is a lot of stories of accidents and 'unfortunate developments' during duels, in which a mage might suffering serious wounds, or even dying."

That last part deeply unsettled Vicky.

"Dying? You mean mages die in duels? But, the Codex…"

"The Codex forbids murder." Zillah explained. "But, a fight between mages is still considered a battle that involves risks from the beginning. It is a loophole in the Codex that was never truly closed. The thing is that a duel is a battle in which both mages go already knowing they will be putting their lives on the line, and that it is either one or the other. So, if someone ends up dying in a duel, it is considered just a fatality, but not really a murder, according to our laws."

"Now, mages in general respect all of the rules set off to make the duels the safest possible for both parts. But still, you can still hear stories in which one or both of them have gotten carried away…"

Vicky looked at her in silence, as her mind was processing what she had just heard. Zillah sighed, as this kind of reaction was to be expected.

"Yeah, mages get involved in much more combats and troubles than the regular mammal." The ferret continued. "It is just one of the things that makes our lives so difficult."

"Oh…" Vicky said, "So, it seems that being a mage is to live with some problems."

"You can say it is the price we pay for our powers." The ferret said to her. "To live as a mage is to live a certain kind of life. One that is filled with it's own kinds of griefs and problems. Problems that can easily take a tool on someone who is not really made for them. Sometimes, even if you are truly made for this life, you can easily have a shadow cast in your soul by what you will go through."

"Is it really so bad?" Vicky asked, and Zillah looked back at her.

"My grandfather passed away when I was seven." Zillah spoke to her. "He spend his last days bedridden, and speaking a lot of his regrets and griefs… Just the day before his death, he called me to talk to him, and asked me if I wanted to buy his soul… Who asks that to a seven year old?"

Vicky could not really answer that. Still, she could get a good picture of what Zillah was trying to paint. Or so she thought…

"Not to mention the thing with the Magic Crests." Zillah continued, and Vicky looked at her.

"Oh, you mean the greatest treasure of the mage families?"

Zillah nodded at the vixen. "I already explained how they have magic knowledge imprinted in them, and that it passes down to us, right?"

The vixen nodded, and the ferret continued:

"Well, the thing is, this knowledge is not all that gets imprinted in it." Zillah explained. "When I was ten, I started to have nightmares with mammals trying to get away from a building on fire. I had very vivid nightmares with mammals on flames and dying. I used to wake up in tears and drenched in sweat nearly all night for two months. Only later I understood that the dream was not really a dream, but a memory."

"A memory?" Vicky asked. "You mean you have been in a fire before?"

"No." Vicky said, "But my grandfather was. It was before he found out he was a mage, and the building where he lived with his family suffered a criminal fire, and he barely escaped."

Vicky looked at her, and her sharp mind made the connection of this with what the ferret had already said.

"So… you received your grandfather's memories through the Magic Crest?"

"They carry memories along with the magical knowledge, sometimes." Zillah explained. "But, more than that, they also carry emotions."

"If you don't achieve your goals in this life, or if you have a lot of regrets, if you carry guilt over something you've done, or if you are just frustrated with the world and all that happens, this kind of thing impregnates the Magic Crest." The ferret said, "The Magic Crest carries not only the knowledge, but also the frustrations, regrets and griefs of those who came before me. They passed it all down to me and, as a mage, I have the duty of having at least one kit, one descendant to whom pass my Magic Crest." She passed for a while.

"You know, it is actually no farfetched to call a Magic Crest a cruse that is passed down inside a lineage of mages." The ferret said, and she looked at this.

"So, they are a treasure as much as they are a burden." Vicky said, seemingly to herself as much as to Zillah, and the ferret nodded.

"Yeah, not to mention when some start to fight for it."

"Oh?"

"There can only be one heir to a Magic Crest." Zillah explained. "Of course, there are occasions in which a Magic Crest can be split between one or more heirs, but doing so divides the power it contains, and it will cause the power of the clan to diminish as it is split between multiple branches. That is why the tradition is that the Magic Crest will belong to a single heir, which will be the oldest or the most talented. This one will become the head of the clan, the holder of all of their secrets and of their legacy."

"And, the other candidates might not like it?" Vicky asked, and Zillah nodded.

"Among mages, the greatest of all tragedies is when siblings start to fight each other for the Magic Crest. This is the kind of thing that can easily become bloody, and they can destroy relationships and break families forever."

"Wow… that's heavy." Vicky said, and the ferret looked back at her, as the vixen continued.

"It really seems that mages have difficult lives thanks to their magecraft."

"Yeah, we sure do." Zillah confirmed. "Most of us are used to this, as we know this as the only life we have, and we don't really wish for any other. But, some don't handle it. Some are just not cut up to this kind of life, and this makes them give up."

"Give up…" Vicky said, looking at her with a sense of dread. "You mean… suicide?"

Zillah looked at her surprised. "Oh! No, that's not what I mean." The ferret soon was clarifying, "I mean, some actually do that, but most will try and become **ex-mages** before going that far."

"Ex-mages?" Vicky said, "You mean, giving up being a mage? You can do that?"

"Choosing to explore magecraft is a choice." Zillah explained. "It is not like the species you were born. I mean, you will always have Magic Circuits if you were born with them, but you can choose to stop using them."

"Some do make this kind of decision." Zillah said. "There are some individuals like that around. They have decided that the life of a mage was not for them, and they decided to give up on magecraft."

"Sometimes is because of a personal decision. Other times it is because they have decided that they were done with mystery and the supernatural, and others it was for reasons that go beyond themselves." Zillah explained to her, "But, sometimes a mage can decide that they no longer want anything to do with magecraft and all that comes from it. So, they renounce magecraft."

"I see…" Vicky said to her, "And, this means that they will forever give up using magecraft?"

"Unless the situation is so dire that they need to use it, or that they someday change their minds." Zillah explained. "Other than that, yes. They stop studying, abandon their clans and vow never to get involved with magecraft or anything of supernatural ever again."

"Of course, individuals like that are not seen with good eyes by most of the mage community, as they are considered individuals who have turned their backs on their legacies and on their pride as mages. They are considered cowards and renegades that chose to give up all that it meant to be a mage to live as non-mages. They are vulgarly known as **quitters**, but it is quite a rude thing to be called."

"Personally… I kind of understand them." Zillah said, "The life of a mage is not a nice one. You must dedicate yourself fully to your craft day and night. You have a duty with your family above all else. You will be expected to work and study to improve yourself and your magecraft to a perfect form, in detriment of your personal relationships and desires. You will also have to deal with all of the political dances that come with being part of the world of magecraft. It is the kind of thing that some are just not able to handle. It is not because they are weak, or because they are cowards, is just that they were not made for this world, and as a result, they just decided to leave it."

"There is nothing wrong with it." Zillah said, and Vicky nodded as she agreed with her.

* * *

The interview was being transmitted, and it was not only to Zootopia.

The ZNN was something that focused mostly in the city of Zootopia, was which was practically a government on its own, but it was also transmitted to many other places, including the neighborhood areas, including the Meadowlands and Outback Island. Not only that, but it was also transmitted to other neighbor areas, like the area of the TriBurrows, which included the Deerbrook County. It also reached the hometown of a certain bunny cop: BunnyBurrow.

In there, there was a family of bunnies that was watching the interview as it unfolded, as they first had their attention called to it when someone accidentally changed channels into the ZNN, and they soon got caught up into what was being show.

Soon, the older ones were getting interested in it as they watched, and they were calling the younger ones, who were calling their brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles and aunties. Now there was a real gaggle of bunnies gathered in front of the television.

It was pretty much like it was in the night of the Darkest Hour, when they witnessed the disaster, but luckily, it seemed that this time none of the Hopps family was going to be left traumatized by what they were seeing in there.

They watched with a lot of interest to the development of the interview, as they followed it as if it was the latest episode of their favorite series. The reactions were pretty much the same as well.

They all reacted with wonder as the ferret had explained on the nature of magecraft. They showed some emotion when she explained of their laws. They seemed to be really surprised when she explained the power dynamics of the Association.

"That's so…. WOW!" Someone among the bunnies of the Hopps family said.

"I've always believed that magic was real!" Someone else said, "I mean, deep down I always had this suspicion. The world is just too chaotic and varied for magic not to be a thing."

"Yeah, but the ferret lady said that magecraft is different from magic." One of the younger kits said. Some were forced to agree with this.

There were all kinds of comments like that going on among the many Hopps siblings, cousins and other relatives. Including when the ferret and vixen started to talk about the Darkest Hour. In this moment, the room grew more silent and the bunnies in general looked properly more somber.

They all heard what was said about the matter, and soon, there were more mammals in there talking about the subject.

"So, mages actually did that…"

"I hope these guys were the first to be swallowed by the mud."

"Why did they ever wanted to do this ritual if they knew it was dangerous? They were great idiots."

The interview continued, with Zillah talking about how mages fought each other, and how they shouldered the griefs and problems of their ancestors, and how siblings sometimes fought each other for the right to be an heir.

"Hope we never get to fight each other over inheritance like that." A bunny said.

"Yeah, sounds like a hard life." Someone said, and others agreed.

"It sounds like mages do like to battle. I really hope they never come to challenge _me_ for a duel."

"You wouldn't last ten seconds against a mage."

"This makes you think if having magical powers is actually worth it…"

"To be able to do stuff like what that ferret did with the fire? It sure does!"

"I don't think I would make it."

The bunnies in the room talked to each other over the subject, while the interview continued. Among them, a pair of bunnies was sitting in the couch, along with other bunnies, and they were too looking at the television.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Stu said as he looked at the television, having heard all that the ferret had said. "Mages surely don't have it easy. Don't you think, Bonnie?" He asked to his wife, who was sitting by his side, also looking at the television, along with her husband and all of their big family.

"Yeah…" Bonnie Hopps said, looking at the television. "They absolutely haven't…"

To anyone who heard it would seem like a common commentary about what she was seeing and hearing in the interview, but someone who knew her and paid attention to her face would see that she had a… curious expression while she looked at the screen.

* * *

"Well… it all is really interesting…" Vicky said, mentally recapitulating all that it had been said. They covered about mages, about magecraft, about the Association and about the Darkest Hour, which was pretty much everything.

"Do you think there is any other thing that you think that the public should know?" Vicky asked her, "Something that you feel like sharing with everyone?"

Zillah took a moment to think of it, while Vicky and the camera both were focused on her, with anticipation. Finally, the ferret said:

"Well, I guess I already said all that I could and needed to say." The ferret admitted. "All that was most important, I mean…"

"I see…" Vicky said, "Well, then I guess this would be the end of this interview… do you have some final comments? Or some last thing that you would like to say for the camera before we end this?"

Zillah looked at her for a few moments, and she once more was thinking.

Something she wanted to say…

"Yes…" Zillah said, "Actually, there is."

With this, the ferret was now looking at the camera. More than this, she was looking at all of the mammals who would be looking back at her through the screens of their televisions once that interview aired.

"I want to speak to… well, everyone…" Zillah said as she looked at the camera. "Things are crazy now. Everyone is on their toes and edgy because of all that is going on… The destruction of the city, the videos, the attacks and protests… It is all enough to make anyone be on their nerves with everything, and maybe with everyone…"

Zillah made a small pause, and she looked up.

"But… we cannot let fear and hatred take hold of us and make us act like that!" She spoke. "To all mages, I know that things are difficult, and that all that is happening now is something that none of us ever wanted to happen, and something that many of us never thought that we were going to have to face."

"We are facing a change in our world, now that keeping secret is no longer possible… but we cannot let this defines how we are going to act. _We_ must define how we are going to act, and as mammals who dedicate their lives to finding the truth and to understanding the world, we need to use our reason, and not to surrender to our feelings."

"The world has changed, and we need to understand that and to accept that things have changed. We have to adapt to this new reality, and to take it as it comes. All the while, we must keep our minds calm and our hearts in the right place."

As she spoke, the camera focused on her, giving a close up of her face.

"The same goes for the non-mages." She continued. "I know that you are all scared with what is going on, but you cannot let fear take hold of you and turn into hatred, because it will only make it worse for everyone. The world is changing, and it is hard to accept, but please, don't go thinking that all mages are dangerous monsters and that we all should be locked away or persecuted like in the middle ages. It is the 21st century, for crying out loud!"

"I know that it is hard not to be insecure with someone who has skills that you can only dream about." Zillah said, "I know that it is hard to accept a great change in reality. I know that it is hard to trust into someone who has remained hidden for a very long time, and about whom you know nearly nothing about. Still, I'm asking you all to give us a chance."

"Yes, there are some who use the mystic arts for wrong means. There are some who have absolutely no regards for the lives of others or that actually take pleasure with the suffering of others. But you all have to agree that this is not something that is exclusive to mages. There are all kinds of mammals in this world, both mages and non-mages, who have evil in their hearts, and who will hurt others for one reason or another."

"Yes, we do things that mammals should be not able to do. Yes, we have our own versions of justice and morals that might actually differ from your own. Yes, we are very curious and very powerful mammals. But still, we are only mammals." Zillah said, "We have doubts, we have dreams, we have aspirations. We feel anger, we feel fear, we feel sadness. We have needs of our own. Apart from our magecraft, you will find out that we are actually not very different from you."

"That is why I ask you to give us a chance." Zillah continued, and she looked at the camera, imagining that she was looking at the faces of all mammals who would be watching this. "We have been living hidden for centuries now. We have been in this world just as long as you have. We have had a lot of bumps in the way, but we do have our own laws in order to correct or behavior. We are more mature than the mages of old, who did what they wanted and had absolutely no regard for the lives of non-mages."

"That is why we ask you to give us a chance to live in this world by your side. To share the world with you. To be able to live our lives in peace, free from persecutions or the worries that come from being hunted and hated."

"I know that some among you don't feel that we deserve a chance. You probably have the right to, in relation to what I revealed today about the criminals among mages and about the Darkest Hour. Still, I assure you that not all mages are like that. We just want to continue our studies in peace, and we won't represent a danger to the world the way we are now."

"So, if you are listening to this, I ask you… I really ask you." Zillah said, looking at the camera "Please, just give us a chance."

* * *

Mammals of all kinds were watching the interview, from the most humble ones in the poorest areas, to the ones in the noblest areas of the city. Among them, some people of the great Palm Hotel in Sahara Square. It was a place where many important mammals were as tenants and, among them, one in particular was of particular fame and prestige.

Gazelle was wearing comfortable clothes of pink coloration while she was sitting in her couch and watching the tv. She was among the many mammals who had become very interested in the interview, and was following this in real time.

She saw it from beginning to ending, and she was with someone in there. It was Tyson, one of the four brothers who were her dancers/bodyguards. He was kind enough to make her company while the others went off to run some errands. The four brothers were dear friends of Gazelle, and they have been with her from the very beginning of her career. Tyson, in particular, was very close to her, as he was a very good and dear friend to her.

He was by her side during all of the interview, and he had remained silent while they both watched.

"Wow…" Tyson finally said, as the ferret finished her plea on the television. "This ferret really has a way with words, don't her?"

"Yeah… she sure has." Gazelle said, and they both remained in silence for a few moments as the interview was being closed.

"So… what she just said about mages…" Tyson asked, "What do you think?"

Gazelle was in silence for a while, and she finally said:

"I really believe in her."

Tyson looked at her.

"She looked really sincere in her words." Gazelle said, "And I totally agree with her that we should not let fear control us. I mean, if they have lived among us for so long, then I guess that they deserve to be given a chance."

Yes. Of course Gazelle would be like that. She was a mammalitarian above all else. She fought for the rights of all mammals, no matter species or origin. All of her speeches about acceptance and tolerance, about embracing differences and living together in harmony, she truly believed in every single one of them. Tyson, who was so close to her, knew that very well.

"So, you really are willing to give mages a chance?" He asked.

"I sure are." Gazelle comfirmed. "Well, I am quite surprised with it all, I guess. But if mages truly are just trying to live their lives, then I guess that they do deserve a chance. After all, they _are_ only mammals."

Tyson nodded at this, and remained in silence for a while. Suddenly, he grabbed the remote and muted the television.

"Wha- Tyson?" Gazelle said, turning to him. The tiger turned back to her, and he had an expression on his face that made Gazelle know that it was serious.

"Maria…" Tyson said, calling her by her actual name, and this confirmed to the popstar that it was indeed serious. "There is something I need to talk to you about…"

* * *

That appeal was truly sincere in Vicky's ears, and it was heartfelt. That much the vixen could actually say. It was honest and it came from the ferret's heart. It seemed like the perfect way to end this interview.

She placed a paw in her shoulder. The ferret looked at her, and an exchange of looks was all that it took for the two females come into a mutual understanding.

"Thank you for sharing everything with us, Zillah." Vicky said, and she turned to the camera, which once more had a wide angle and could catch both of them, before it once more focused into the vixen:

"Well, I guess this is it." Vicky said to the camera. "I am Victoria Vulpen, of the ZNN, and you have all just watched an interview with a mage. Thank you for watching."

And, with this simple farewell, the interview came to an end.

* * *

"Best. Interview. Ever." Cameron said, as the beagle was holding a cup of coffee and a pack of peanut butter crackers. "Do you think that they will give us all a raise? I mean, we all helped in the interview."

"Well, I hope to at least receive some credit for directing you guys into what to do." Natalie said, as the skunk sipped from her own cup of coffee. By her side, Jeremy was eating some fish sticks.

"Yeah, and I helped with the sound! You all saw how it came out really fine, didn't you?"

"It was a team effort." Vicky said, as everyone in the table turned to her, looking away from the television. "After all, if it wasn't for you guys, I would not have been able to make this interview. Thanks a lot guys."

"Yeah, just don't forget about us when they are giving you a prize." Said Larry, as the beaver soon after was munching on a thing he had ordered, which somehow looked like a miniature log, but it was made of chocolate and that he munched on with his big front teeth, taking chunks of it inside his mouth and chewing.

"Don't worry, I do give others their due credit. Unlike _other_ mammals." Vicky said, as her tone became just a bit heavier in there. However, Vicky was able to quickly suppress the feeling of resentment that had built in her mind when she taught about _that guy_. Now was just not the time, now was a moment of celebration.

"So, to one of the best interviews that this century has seem until now!" Vicky said, raising her coffee cup. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" All of the four mammals in the table joined her in her toast, as they knew that it was deserved.

* * *

"So, there is a prize for reporters?" Cameron asked as he finished setting down the camera and getting ready to put it back into the car.

"Yeah, there is a Lemmy for News." Natalia said.

"Think we all will get one as well?"

"Normally they give it just to the reporter."

"But we are getting something, right?" Cameron insisted. "I mean, we all helped into the interview."

"Yeah, we sure did." Jeremy said as he finished dealing with the sound equipment, as he and all the other three helped prepare for them to go. Meanwhile, Vicky was still talking with Zillah.

"Yeah, that surely was a story. Thank you so much." Vicky said, and Zillah smiled back at her.

"Don't mention it. I do hope this can boost your career, Ms. Vulpen."

"Call me Vicky." The vixen said, "So, I guess that the interview is going to be aired pretty soon, as soon as we finishing make some editing."

"Editing?"

Vicky soon turned to her. "Oh, we are not altering it or anything!" She was quick to say in her own defense. "We are just going to work on the image and sound to make it better for television, as well as cutting some parts from when we were begging and from after we ended, to make it more professional. It is standard procedure."

"Its okay." Zillah said to her. "You promised me that my words wouldn't be distorted, and I trust in you."

Vicky nodded at her.

"I'm glad you do… still, why did you decided to give this interview… and why give it to me?"

Zillah looked at her up and down, as if she was evaluating her, and she smiled warmly.

"Well, recently I have come across someone who made me think that it was time to not just be a witness in all that was happening." The ferret said, and she had a smile on her face. "This mammal has convinced me that I should go and try to make a difference… to make the world a better place. And a way to do that was to explain to everyone what was going on."

She looked at the vixen, and she said:

"As for why I chose you… well, let's say I have a _good eye_ for knowing the best person for certain jobs, and you turned out to be the best person. Dedicated to your work. Completely compromised with the truth. And someone who understands what it is like to be looked down by the ones around you because of your species. You seemed to be the best individual to whom give this interview and, to be totally honest…"

Zillah looked at her for a moment before continuing:

"I really like your face. You seemed to be nice and I kind of liked you as soon as I saw you. I had the feeling that you were someone who deserved to have this interview, so I decided to give it to you."

The vixen listened intently to all that was being said by the ferret, and she couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself due to what the ferret had said about her. It was a good stroke in the ego for anyone, and Vicky would be lying if she said she didn't liked being appreciated.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Vicky said, being completely sincere in this "Honestly, I wouldn't even need to distort anything. This interview is surely going to make a thing for my career… if they let me present it."

Zillah looked at her, and she said:

"Tell will, if you take it to your boss directly."

"Yeah, I plan to. I wanna see the look on his face when he found out that I managed to-"

"Vicky, I am serious. You need to take it directly to your boss first thing tomorrow." Zillah insisted, making the vixen look at her face and she that she was truly being serious. "You need to arrive early in your work, and go straight into his office and wait for him to arrive so you can give him the story. If you don't, this story will go to someone else and you won't get the credit you deserve."

Vicky looked at her, as the ferret continued:

"I know that you have pursued some good stories, and that all of them were taken from you, and you need to make sure that this won't happen to this one. So, you must personally go deliver this story to your boss first thing in the morning, after it is ready."

Vicky looked at her curiously, and the ferret lowered her glasses, letting the vixen have a good look of her blue eyes. Suddenly, the eyes were changing color, from a light blue coloration to a neon-green, startling Vicky slightly.

"Believe me… I know."

That was all that the ferret said before turning around and walking back to her bird, leaving Vicky to watch as the ferret climbed in the back of her bird, and soon them both were taking off to the sky.

Vicky remained in place for a while, before someone called her:

"Vicky!" It was Larry. "All packed! We need to go now if we want to get a good computer to work on the video… wait, where is the mage?"

* * *

As soon as the interview ended, the focus on the screen changed from the scene back to the two anchors who were presenting the news.

"So, after nearly four months of doubt and uncertainty, we finally have received solid information." Growley said, looking at the camera as it focused on her. "Now, what shall we do of this information? Shall we take it as it is? Shall we hold some doubt?"

"An information that was given by no other than a mage, about all that is happening in Zootopia and in the world." Moosebridge said, as another camera was focusing on him. "Now we know the mechanics of the 'mystic arts', and of how mages act and think, as well as how they govern themselves."

"The disaster of Fangtropolis, before a target of nothing more than speculation, now has been granted some solid facts, and this, of course, will have repercussions." Growley said once more.

"Criminals exist among mages, and they are dealt with on ways that mages developed themselves." Moosebridge said, "Now, is this a source of worry, for knowing that there are criminal mages, or relief, for knowing that mages have their own laws and their own police to deal with such criminals?"

"Many answers were giving today." Growley continued, "But still, there are many doubts and uncertainties still left. Now we know that mages exist, and that they are out there. What this means for the world, and how this will affect everyone who lives in Zootopia and everywhere else? Well, only time will tell. I'm Fabienne Growley…"

"And I am Peter Moosebridge."

"And you have just watched the special ZNN news report, showing the **Interview with a Mage**. Have a good night."

And with this, the closing theme played, and soon, the special report was coming to an end.

* * *

Mammals from all around watched as the interview was now coming to a close. Among them, was no other than the mammal who gave the interview herself.

Zillah was watching in an old television with an image that was not very good, but it was good enough to see the interview from beginning to ending, and to see that it had been successfully transmit to everyone.

Zillah sighed as she relaxed on the couch. She knew that there would be severe repercussion for all of this, for there were a lot of mages who would be outraged with her for having went and told so many of their secrets like that. Still, Zillah thought that she would be able to face them if it was the case.

Also, Zillah knew that the interview that she gave would help, but that it would not make miracles. She knew that it was unlikely for everyone to start holding hands and singing songs about peace and love, it was not how the world worked. Zillah was optimist, but she was also realist. She knew that many would take her words of a grain of salt, a big one by that matter.

Still, for some reason Zillah felt a lot calmer now.

Maybe it was because she had done something that she believed would improve things, and that she felt like she should do, but was being held back by worries and personal issues.

Yes, she did what she thought she needed to, and there would be repercussions of this, good and bad. Zillah knew that in the moment she had decided to make the interview and she was ready to face them if they ever came.

Zillah had done her part, and this much she could say for herself.

Now all she had to do was wait and see how everything would pan out, and be ready to whatever was to come.

* * *

"Okay, cut!" A voice said, "That's a wrap, everyone! You were all amazing! The next segment will enter shortly! Moosebridge, Growley, you two take a breather! You guys deserve it!"

The two mammals sighed as they walked out of the stage that had been prepared for them. It felt strange for them to be complimented for their good work, once they barely even did anything. It was just the interview playing on the screen for the entire time. They only gave the opening cue and gave their last words in the ending.

Now that the interview was done, there was more extra programming coming next, like some other reporters who were going to dissect and discuss the video and everything that was said it in. That was a matter that the snow leopardess and the moose didn't really had to worry about, for they had done their part.

"Quite an interview it was, right?" Peter asked, and Fabienne nodded.

"It sure was…"

"So, what do you think of it?"

"It was really nice." The feline said, "That ferret have way with the words, and Vulpen surely is an excellent reporter. Honestly, I'm kind of calmer now. I guess that is what happens after you have received some good solid facts."

"I'll say." Peter agreed. "Think everyone else is going to get calmer now?"

"That is harder to say." Fabienne admitted. Yes, she could not truly say if everyone would actually feel any calmer after watching the interview. Actually, there was even the possibility that some could make even more noise about this. Still, for some reason, the snow leopardess felt a bit more optimistic. She smiled to her colleague as she said:

"Well, let's wait and see."

* * *

**And with this final chapter, we conclude The Interview! So, what do you guys think?**

**Was the interview successful? Will it make mammals calmer and less likely to go for each other's throats? Well, all that's left to do is wait and see!**

**'Till next chapter.**


	20. Changing World

Things are always changing.

That is a reality of the world, and there was no denying it.

When things change, it is extremely hard for them to go back the way they used to be, if such thing is even possible at all. At most, we will all be expected to adapt and to form a "new normal" from the situation that has changed.

The revelation of the existence of the supernatural to the world surely was a big change. One that caught everyone by surprise, and provoked all kinds of reactions all around the planet. Some had been thrilled. Some had been angry. Some were in denial. However, a great number of them were scared for things changing in such a radical way.

In the face of such a change, it seemed that the world was walking straight into problem. However, this all changed when a ferret decided to go to television and speak to others.

The interview was televised by the ZNN to everyone. Mostly it was focus on Zootopia, but it was something that reached everywhere thanks to the communication means of the modern age. The interview was made available for everyone via the internet and the ZNN's website, as it reached not only the entirety of the UZA, and of Animerica in general, but even reached overseas for everyone to see it.

You lost it when it aired? No problem, for the whole interview was made available in the ZNN website for you to watch again and again at any moment you wanted and anywhere you were. The news of the interview were circulating everywhere, and it had already been cover by other news channels and newspapers in the course of the week that followed. It gained space in the national and international media, until practically everyone in the whole world had seen at least part of the interview, and they knew at least a little bit of what the world of mages truly was…

Now, this did not changed the fact that everything was changing, and that there was no way for things to go back the way that they were before it all. However, everyone now had to adapt. They had to keep moving forward, accept the new reality, and to find a way to live in the new form of normal.

This applied to everyone…

* * *

_The Mage Council's Gathering Room, England_

"It seems that everything is somewhat falling into place now." Calves said, as he continue to tip into his computer. The reindeer was standing by his side. He was taller than the goat, and this was obvious, as he stood on 8'2'' feet tall, being quite tall for a teenager reindeer. The fur of his body was of a light-brown coloration, and his snout was black in coloration and his eyes were blue and beady. There was a good mass of fur on the top of his head and on his chest, which was of a cream coloration. His head was also decorated by big reindeer antlers. He was wearing a clothing that looked like some short of uniform, with a white shirt, with a crimson vest over it and a blue tie, with a black jacket with a curious logo on the long sleeves, and a pair of black pants. He was looking over the shoulder of the goat as he waited there in silence.

"Yeah, it sure is…" Someone else said, it was Mustang. "But… what is your assistant doing in here? This room is only for members of the council."

The reindeer shrunk a little bit at it, and at the hostile look that the horse was giving him.

"Harvey is very loyal to me, and for the amount of times he has been here, I'd say that he would even deserve an extra seat just for him." The goat said, causing the horse to shift his hostile gaze from the reindeer to him, but the goat didn't even noticed, or if he did he did not gave it any attention. "Besides… he knows a lot of more technology than I do, and he will be able to help me with this computer if I have any problem. I mean, since most of us chose not to deal with technology, we tend to have someone to deal with it for us… you have someone to deal with technology for you, right?" The goat asked, a sly smile on his face as he looked up at the horse, who looked like he wanted to bore a hole through the body of the goat with his gaze.

"Oh, yeah, that would be nice." Maskell said, as the raccoon was leaning over the table from his high chair. "Another one of your students joining the council, until all of them are made by mages who you taught." The raccoon said that as a joke, but it caused many to look a bit uncomfortable at what was spoke.

"Anyway…" Calves continued. "It seems that everything is calming down after the past week."

"Calming down?" Lykins asked, as the lynx looked at the goat. "I'm sorry, have you missed the many protests that are still going around?"

"They have reduced in number." Collington said, as she seemed to be looking at an iPaw that she had brought. This was just one of the things that made others look at her with raised eyebrows, as she too didn't followed the common of mages to avoid technology. "Researches prove that, even though the protests are still going on around the world, especially in countries with very religious governments, the amount of protests had effectively reduced in a dramatic way. Apparently in response for the interview given by Zillah Ferron one week ago."

Some were forced to agree with this.

"Yeah, maybe the ferret did made a good decision when she gave that interview." Maskell said it. "I guess that the young lady does deserve some points for doing what she did."

"She took a wild risk." Clawse said. "It was far too dangerous, and the chances of backfiring are still high."

"Still, it seems that things _are_ getting better." Vanhorne said, as the impala looked like she was trying to see the positive side. "It seems that mammals are becoming less afraid."

"Yeah, it seems that the mammals are becoming more receptive." Boivin said, "Perhaps the ferret girl did made the right decision."

"She had no right to make this decision all on her own!" Sanders said, "She exposed all of our community like that and she took an unbelievable risk! She should at least have contacted the Association and told us of our plan before she decided to do something so risky!"

"We would probably have denied it." Mieczyslaw said, as the wolf was now looking through papers that were given to him before he entered the room. Most of it looked like reports and other kinds of documents. "With you certainly being the one on the lead against the idea."

"Of course I would!" Sanders said, slamming his paw in the table with a surprising amount of strength. "The idea was absurd and could only end in disaster!"

"But it didn't." Mieczyslaw said to him. "And these documents in here prove it. They are reports from many of the enforcers and a number of our associates and agents, and they seem to confirm that the moods are, indeed, calming down all around after the interview. It seems that having information on what is really going on and what mages and magecraft is all about is helping others get calmer."

"We have been secret for a reason." The fennec said somberly. "We all convinced the world that we did not existed for a very good reason. We did not did it only on a whim, or just so we could laugh at their expenses. We have invested a lot of time and effort into hiding our existence, and that ferret decided to go forth and tell them practically everything! She would even be considered a criminal for this! We have laws against this kind of thing!"

"Laws that will surely need some changing in the near future." Mieczyslaw said, "As we have already talked, it seems that everything is changing, and secrecy is no longer an option. This does put a good number of laws regarding secrecy in jeopardy, as it seems that they have lost their purpose."

Sanders looked like he wanted to say something in return, but he did not. Apparently, he had found nothing that was good enough of an answer to what the wolf had said. So the fennec only resorted to sit on his chair, with his arms crossed, looking to be quite mad at everything.

"Wow… Sanders at loss of words?" Maskell said, "Now that surely proves to me that everything truly is going bonkers."

Sanders turned to him, and he seemed that he was ready to fly at the raccoon's neck.

"Maskell." Said Lupine, as the other wolf looked at him. "These meetings have already been troubling enough without us provoking each other, so you would do well in stop with the taunts."

Maskell made a salute at him to signal that he had understood, right after making a zipping gesture over his muzzle, to show that he would be quiet. Still, even though he said nothing, Sanders seemed to get even madder at him. He glared daggers at the raccoon, and one or two members followed his cue as giving the same look at the smaller mammal.

Lupine, however, had his attention turned to the other wolf at the table. "So, Mieczyslaw, it is confirmed that the amount of tension is decreasing?"

"Up until now." The other wolf said, still looking through the papers. "I have reports from many enforcers and associates on different parts of the world explaining that the attacks on individuals who were supposedly related to the supernatural have all reduced dramatically." He explained. "Also, the amount of protests have reduced in size and frequency, as it seems that a number of mammals no longer wants to take part of them. Not only that, but our contacts are also reporting that it seems that the governments around seem to be developing their own versions of 'mage protection policies', or something of the like, save for the more religious and oppressive regimes, that seem to be still plotting against the mages around, but they are a significant minority."

The wolf put down the papers, and looked around, "It really seems that the non-mages are mostly giving up starting a war with the supernatural."

"The ferret had this effect in them." Vanhorne said. "Especially the things she spoke in the end, about not letting fear guide our actions."

"Yeah, she surely made a very good speech back then." Maskell said. "They are still talking about that speech in the internet. They are comparing it to Martin Lionther King's speech."

"She spoke from her heart." Vanhorne said, "And everyone who heard her speech could tell it. Her words were truly sincere."

"It seems that they were." Sanders said, "But many did not liked her words, and some of them actually feel angrier with all that she said on the television."

"But they are a minority." Mieczyslaw said to him. "The non-mages now are less edgy and, because of this, we are becoming less edgy as well. The tension is diminishing between both sides, and I know that you can notice it too."

Sanders said nothing in return. MIeczyslaw knew that he had made a point, and so, he sighed, leaning over the table, quite satisfied with the point he had made. Meanwhile, Maskell made yet another comment:

"Yeah… maybe the revelation of magecraft to the world is not going to be the great disaster that everyone always thought."

"It is still too soon to say." Catlow said, looking at his own documents as he spoke that. "It is still only one week since the interview, and it is hard to predict how others will act in the following months. Things could actually get worse."

"And our resident pessimists continue to make their party." Maskell said, what rendered him a reprimand from Lupine. The raccoon now was going to remain quiet.

"I'm just saying the truth." Catlow said, and he looked at the reports that he had. "Yes, the protests reduced, but the ones who still go to them seem to be pretty keen on their opinions that mages don't deserve trust or chances of any kind. Also, while the attacks have diminished in frequency, it seems that the ones who are attacking are keener on actually doing actual damage to others."

"Not really a surprise there." Lykins said, "After all, the ones who resist changes the most are the most passionate on attaining themselves to the old ways. It is to be expected that the ones who would still want to reject the supernatural and magecraft would the be the most conservative and bigoted ones."

"They can make quite a noise." Calves said.

"Individuals like that tend to attract more to their own side." Clawse said, "They will surely want to convince others of their point of view, and they will not give up on getting rid of what they consider taboo. There had always been individuals like that, from the very beginning."

"Not to mention the politics that still want to ride popular fear to power." Lykins added, "But most of them are currently changing their tone with the changes that the interview has triggered."

"Still, there are chances that everything could get worse." Catlow said. "It would not be the first time that things go well in the beginning only for them to go downhill ahead in the road. This could very well be one of these situations."

"A fair point…" Mustang said, "In any case, perhaps we should remain ready in case of trouble."

"You mean, keeping on our toes and ready for a war?" Mieczyslaw asked, his expression not a sympathetic as he looked at the horse. "You know, I really thought that we were going to leave it behind."

"A wise mammal does not looks for war." Mustang said to him, "But is always ready in case it comes. These are words of wisdom that many should try to take in mind."

"I can agree with that." Catlow said.

"Of course you do." Maskell said once more.

"Maskell, stop, this is the last warning." Lupine said, and the raccoon rose his hands defensively, but he still had a smile on his face as he leaned back.

"Well, it seems that all we can do now is manage the situation." Calves said, and this caused everyone to look at him. "After all, the duty of the council is to work for the continuation and protection of the mage community under their care. This is all that we can all do." He said, looking around for a moment, at the mammals sitting in the round table. "We just do what we need to do now, and keep making the important decisions of the Association. We go forth, we mobilize our resources, we manage the important subjects that come to us, all the while we keep an eye for the developments of all that has happened and that will happen. In time we will see if the ferret really made something that only caused everything to get worse, or if she managed to turn the stupidest decision someone could make into the smartest thing that someone could have done."

It seemed that many of the mages sitting in that table agreed with that, as they all nodded and said a few words in accordance to what the goat had said.

"So, I guess the thing that we must decide now…" Calves said, as he looked back at the computer. "… Is if we will answer to the queen's summon and send representatives."

The mammals all around looked at Calves, confused.

"Representatives?" Sanders asked, "What the bloody hell are you talking about, Calves?"

The goat once more rose his eyes to look at the fennec, before he once more looking around, and he saw the confused and inquisitive expressions of the other members of the Council. The goat could not help but chuckle.

"The great Mage Council. Responsible for the most important decisions on the Association and mages of the world. Always aware of all that is happening in the lands under their jurisdiction." Calves said, seemingly having fun with the notion. "At least, that is what some non-mages seem to think."

The rest of the Council continued to look at him inquisitively, some with raised eyebrows. Calves looks back at him.

"You really don't know what is happening in our own home turf?" He asked, and the expressions of the mages around gave him all of the answer that he needed. The goat chuckled again…

* * *

Outside of the room of the council, but still in England, there was something happening.

Across the roads of the cities of England, and across the far roads that moved out of the cities, all the way to the villages that were the most far from the urban centers of the English Empire, there were vehicles moving. They moved at a reasonable pace, not very slowly, but also not very fast.

The vehicles would move across the roads, and the ones that were moving across the roads in direction to distant towns and villages would stop at the center of them, letting some of the mammals who were inside to walk out.

Now, either the vehicles were moving or stopping, the mammals in them were not really quiet, as at least one of them was ringing a bell, as he called out:

"An audience!" The mammal would say. "The queen requests an audience with the Mage's Association!"

Right after this mammal called everyone's attention, another mammal, dressed formally and carrying a piece of scroll would proclaim aloud:

"In reason of the many developments in the British Empire and the world, the queen now requests an audience with representatives of the Mage's Association!" The mammal would say, seemingly reading form the scroll, but also looking like he was repeating a rehearsed speech.

"By this mean, the queen requests the presence of one or more representatives of the Mage's Association to come into an audience with the queen and members of the parliament, to happen in two weeks from now at the Buckingham Palace!" He spoke loudly. "The audience shall be a peaceful meeting and it shall discuss the positioning of the Association and its future interactions and relationships with the state and the crown! The queen shall be waiting!"

With this, the vehicle continued to move, and soon it would repeat the process.

It was something interesting to see, as the English mammals could go by the book and put up quite a show when they had their hearts at it.

Many wondered if the Association would actually answer to this request of the queen…

* * *

Back in Animerica, things were looking quite nice for a certain vixen.

Vicky walked across her workplace; all the while, some mammals were applauding her:

"Hey, Vulpen, good job!"

"You really rocked with that interview."

"You totally deserve that Lemmy. The other one's have no chance."

"You go and bring that prize back!"

"So, any new stories you are working on?"

"Should we expect you to show an interview with Bigfoot now?"

"I bet next she will reveal where Burrow 51 is!"

Vicky smiled as others were complimenting her and making comments like that.

The past week has been good for Vicky, as the fact that she had made the 'Interview with a Mage' had truly did wonders to her reputation and, seemingly, career. It started with her boss personally complimenting her for her skills as a reporter and her dedication in front of everyone, letting everyone know that she was the responsible for that story and that it was a proof of how good she was at her work.

Everything kind of fell into place after that, with other mammals now being much nicer to her. Of course, Vicky suspected that most of them were just wanting to share a bit of her shine, but she didn't minded. She also enjoyed the fact that her friends also were receiving their due, as she made sure to tell to everyone how each one of them was essential for the interview and for the story, and they were all getting the benefits of having helped into the interview.

Vicky had surely made a name for herself as the reporter who interviewed a mage and helped the world learn more about them. This reflected with the way people treated her, as now she had a lot more respect from her peers at the ZNN, and she also had been receiving a lot of appreciation from out there. Apparently, she even started to have her own fan club on the internet, as some mammals described her as a "very talented and very hot reporter", and even were asking her when she would become an anchor, to which Vicky could only chuckle in response.

And, of course, things continued to get better, as a few days ago she received a letter saying that she had been indicated for the News and Documentary Lemmy Award, a prize that was reserved for the ones who had made outstanding achievement on national news and documentary programming. All of that was thanks to the interview, and this only helped even more for her reputation and career. Some were even saying that she also deserved to get the Furitzer Prize.

Vicky could hardly remember when there was the time that she received so much respect from others. It was something unusual for foxes to be so respected by others, and that much Vicky knew, but she also knew that she had succeeded in attaining respect from others.

However, not everyone respected her now, as it was easy to notice that some seemed to be quite jealous of Vicky's success. Some of them even were willing to badmouth her and said other things about her when they thought she was not going to hear. This kind of thing was not new to Vicky, as she had to deal with it from her classmates already when she was graduating from college, and she knew that this was the price that you sometimes paid for being successful: dealing with envy.

Vicky was ready for it, though, as she knew that this was just another proof that she was truly making success, and that she had truly deserved it after all of her hard work. She could handle the envy of some mammals…

Vicky received all of the compliments and pats on the back that they were giving her, and she even told them that she was working on a few stories, although she doubted that they would be as interesting as the interview, but she still promised to do her best.

It was so much that the vixen almost couldn't keep up with it. She had to excuse herself for a cup of water to get away from all of them and take a breather.

Vicky hummed as she walked into the hallways, not noticing a figure that was looking at her from behind and that was now following her. She didn't noticed until she reached the water drinkers, picking up a cup and filling it on one that was right for mammals her size. That was when she noticed a shadow falling over herself.

Vicky turned around to meet a familiar face, one that made her own face harden. Stan just stood in there, looking at her with a sweet smile.

"Vicky!" He said rather happily, although Vicky could easily notice that there was something off about that smile that the deer was giving. "Girl, we haven't talked for a while! Have you been avoiding me?"

Vicky said nothing, as she only gave him a cold glare and said, as politely as she could:

"Mr. Staglore."

"Oh, what is with the formality now?" The deer asked, as she crouched to be closer to her own height. "We have known each other for over a year now."

Vicky didn't answered, and she only continued to give stag a cold glare. Meanwhile, the deer continued to smile at her.

"So, I heard about all of the success you have made." The stag said to her. "Amazing… It is truly amazing. I mean, interviewing a mage and getting so much information on these guys like that! Wow! That is truly…. something… congratulations."

The stag was smiling as he spoke that. However, there was anything about the way he was talking that told Vicky that he wanted to say something else to her. The way that he was looking at her…

"Yeah, thanks." Vicky said, turning and getting ready to leave, but her path was blocked when the stag used his arm to block her path, nearly slapping his hoof into the wall. This startled Vicky, and made her look at him.

"Still…" The deer said, "I have to say… I feel a little upset with you."

Vicky looked back at him, as the stag looked back at her.

"You used to share all of your stories with me… you always told me of all of the stories that you had, especially if they were something interesting… and when you got the stories you came right to me to share them…" The stag spoke, and Vicky only continued to glare at him coldly. "But… this story you had… you didn't spoke to me… You didn't told me or even mentioned anything… I thought we were friends…"

Vicky glared at the stag, who was now giving her a somber look, even thought there was still a smile on his muzzle. It was obvious that he was not happy.

"Vicky, I thought you trusted me."

"I did, _Stan_." The vixen said back to him. "That was what I did wrong in the past year."

"Now that was cruel." Stanley said to her. "Why are you being so mean to the one who was your friend ever since you joined the ZNN one year ago?"

"Maybe because I found out that my _friend_ was just a parasite." Vicky said, and now the stag's smile disappeared completely.

"I was one of the few who would give you the time of day when you came, you ungrateful pelt." The deer hissed at her. "I helped you get stablished and I taught you all of the ropes of the work."

"You were stealing my stories!" Vicky hissed back at him, not letting herself be intimidated by the bigger mammal. "You always came with the story that the boss wanted me to pass the stories to you because he was worried about having a fox in the news, but these were all lies! You told him that _I_ didn't wanted to present my own stories while telling _me_ that he was forbidding me of presenting my stories, all so you could take the stories as if they were your own! Or are you going to deny it?"

Stan looked like he had no answer for this. He just stared at the vixen for a moment, before he spoke again:

"I was just doing that to help."

"Help who, exactly?" Vicky said, her anger rising as she continued to speak with that two-faced parasite.

"Everyone!" The stag said as he looked at her. "I was preventing the ZNN from having its reputation stained for having a fox presenting the news. Was preventing _you_ from embarrassing yourself by appearing on the television only to face rejection from the public! I did it all to help everyone!"

"To help yourself!" Vicky said to him, now really starting to lose her temper. "You were putting me down and keeping me there while you used my stories to help your own career!" She said accusingly. "You were only interested in helping yourself, you stupid parasite!"

"I knew that having a fox in the news would stain the ZNN's image!" The stag said, speaking it as if it was a valid argument. "No one wants to see a fox presenting the news!"

Vicky wanted to claw him at the face. All this time she thought that Stan was on his side, and that he truly understood her, when he was actually another bigoted jerk who had only gotten close to her because it would be convenient to him. This made her blood boil.

"Really?" Vicky asked, now a smile appearing in her face. "Well, it does not seem that it affected the ZNN's reputation to have a fox interviewing a ferret mage. Actually, many seem that they actually liked to have seen me on television making such a wonderful interview.

Stan scoffed at this.

"If the story is good enough, the public can surely overlook certain things." The stag said, "Including the fact that the story is presented by a filthy pelt."

This time Vicky reacted, as she moved the cup on her paw and splashed the water on Stan's face, making the stag jerk backward, but the fur of his face was already wet. Vicky looked at him with disdain, something that Stan answered in kind.

"I can't believe that all this time you were just using me." Vicky said to him, and the stag was silent. "You know, I really believed that you were my friend. But all this time, I was just a way of you to promote your career. Well, not anymore." Vicky said, it was clear that she had made her mind. "You will never be able to steal my stories again! From today on, I'll go to the boss personally to give him all of my stories, and I'll be the one to present all of them from now on! You will have to find someone else to suck dry! You know how hard I work for all of my stories!"

She said to him, and she was about to leave again, when Stan once more blocked her path with his arm, now slamming the wall even harder. She once more turned to him, and she saw the angry expression on his face.

"Oh, yeah." Stanley said to her, "I know how _hard_ you work for all of your stories… I know very well how all _vixens _work hard for what they want… under the sheets."

More anger surged into Vicky as she heard that. Of course, that the stupid stag would be the one who would have this particular prejudice. Of course, he would be the one who thought that Vicky slept with others to get her stories. Maybe that was the reason why she was not even surprised.

"I wonder just how hard you worked for that interview…" Stan said, and Vicky continued to glare at him.

"I watched the interview, you know? Quite a few times…" The stag said to her, "The headquarters of the Mage's Association is in England… You went there two months ago, didn't you?"

"Yes, to visit my aunt who lives in Otterpool with her husband." Vicky said back to him, "Why?"

"Yes, you aunt." Stan said, and he looked at her. "Maybe you took some time to visit someone else while you were there… maybe someone who could give you an information… maybe some _lord_… Or a member of a certain _council_…"

He looked at the vixen, who stared daggers back at him.

"Tell me, do mages like to do weird things in bed?"

That was all that Vicky could take.

"Goodbye, Stan." She said, moving under his arm and getting ready to go to anywhere that was not close to that stupid deer. However, she was once more stopped from leaving, this time, by grabbing her arm.

"Hey!" Vicky said, turning around to see Stan's face really close to her.

"You know, I really respected you all this time." The stag hissed at her as he held her by the arm. "I allowed you to speak. I listening to your complaining even when I had other things to do. I gave you advices when you needed some."

"Let me go!" Vicky said, fighting against his grip, but the stag continued to hold firm on her arm.

"I even was discrete, and never questioned you about your methods."

"You are hurting me!" Vicky hissed at him as he was now squeezing her arm to prevent her from escaping from his grip.

"I never asked who or how many you had to take to bed to get your stories." Stan said to her, his face now morphed into anger. "But this time I am _very_ curious, and I _really_ want to know how many mages of the Association you had to sleep with to arrange that interview."

Vicky's heartbeat was increasing at this. The grip of the stag on her arm was so strong that soon it would start bruising her skin under her fur. In that moment, many emotions were surging inside of her. Fear for the way that the stag was holding to her. Anger for having found out that he lied to her and used her for over an entire year. Frustration for all of the times that she saw her own stories slipping through her fingers to land directly in the lap of that parasite with antlers.

Her lips started to curl into a snarl, and her claws reflexively unsheathed. Her emotions were all surging and turning into rage, and it was about to explode.

"What is going on?" A new voice broke the tension that was building, as both mammals turned around to see this newcomer. It was no other than Fabienne Growley, and she looked at the scene before him, the stag crouched and holding the vixen by the arm, roughly by what it seemed.

"What is this?" She asked again, and both mammals calmed down.

"N-nothing." Stan said, quickly letting go of Vicky's arm, who soon was massaging her arm. "W-we were just having a little chat."

"Didn't quite seemed like a chat." Growley said, and she looked at the vixen, who still seemed to be glaring daggers at the stag.

"It… it was a heated argument, actually." Stan said, still trying to defend himself from getting into trouble. The snow leopardess looked at him for a few moments, and then turned her look at the vixen.

"Vulpen, are you alright?"

Vicky looked at her, and back at Stan.

"Yeah, I am." She spoke, and she even spoke further:

"Staglore was just giving me some advice into dealing with envy." She spoke, causing both animals to look at her. "He was just telling me that I should be ready to deal with the envious mammals out there who will be unhappy with my success. These stupid mammals that will want to bring me down for nothing more than resentment for having a vixen making success."

"Well, luckily, I know how to deal with such mammals, as I had to deal with a lot of it during my life." Vicky continued. "I'll just keep my head up high, knowing that their envy is just another proof that I am truly successful in life." She then looked straight at Stan, who was looking back at her. "After all, this is the true attitude that someone with 'victory' in the name should have."

If looks could kill, Vicky was sure that she would be a dead vixen with the glare that Stan gave her. To which Vicky only smiled, and winked discreetly at him. The stag looked like he wanted to say something, but he only said a polite "have a good day, Vulpen" and turned around to leave.

There was a silence left behind, and after a while, Growley turned to Vicky.

"So, how is your arm?"

Vicky checked her own arm, "Alright. No bruises."

"Should we go to mammal resources?" Growley asked, "Or maybe go talk to the bosses about this?"

"Nah, it is not worth it." Vicky said, "I mean, it was just an argument that heated up, nothing serious."

Growley looked at her. "Vulpen, please, do not insult my intelligence." She spoke, her arms crossed, "I am perfectly capable of recognizing a start of a fight when I see it."

Vicky looked at her, and it was enough to know that she was not going to be able to fool Growley. Honestly, she didn't even thought that it was really going to fool her even for a second. The scene that had unfolded was indeed self-explanatory, and it would be hard to believe that reasonable mammals would merely have an argument like that.

"Should we speak to someone about it?" Growley asked her, and Vicky sighed.

"There is really no need." Vicky said. "I really don't want to go over any more stress because of him."

"You know, it is curious." Growley said, "Many people around were sure that you two were great friends."

Vicky looked down at this. "Yeah… me too." She said, feeling quite sad over that. Yeah, you would too if you discovered that someone you thought you knew and who you thought you could trust was not what they seemed. If you found out that the one that you thought that was on your side actually didn't appreciated you at all, and only hanged out with you so he could take advantage of you and use you. This was something that could really make someone upset.

"So, he does not dealt well with your success?" Growley. "Yeah, that is really bad. I've seen a lot of friendships end like that."

Vicky said nothing. She preferred not to tell that she had been used for over a year. It was embarrassing that she was played for so long by Staglore…

"Well, you might as well just keep moving forward." Growley said to her. "After all, if he is willing to change with you so much only because of envy, then it is because he was never truly your friend to begin with."

"You are absolutely right." Vicky said.

"Oh, congratulations for the story, by the way." Growley said, "The interview was amazing."

These words were sincere, and that much Vicky was able to say. "Thanks." She said with a smile.

"Now, I really need to ask, how did you found the mage and convinced her to give you an interview?" Growley asked.

Vicky looked up at her, and she looked down, a little embarrassed.

"Well… to be completely honest, she was the one who called me and told me she wanted to give an interview." She admitted, and Growley looked back at her.

"Oh, right…" She said, and shrugged, "Well, some of the best stories are sometimes given to us. Still, I have to say that you did an amazing job while interviewing her. You made very good questions, you were very professional in screen, and you showed a lot of compassion to her when it mattered."

"Yeah, I just did my best." Vicky said, "Honestly, I'm glad that I didn't screwed it up. That might as well be the more important story that I found in my life."

"Yeah, for now." Growley said, "You still have your entire career ahead of you, and you might actually find other stories that are just as interesting. Especially considering how good you certainly are."

There was honesty in these words. This caught Vicky slightly off-guard. She was able to smile back.

"Oh… I… I really appreciate it, Ms. Growley." Vicky spoke, and the snow leopardess smiled at her.

"Oh, I'm just saying the truth." The feline said, "You know, I have observed you for a while, and I also heard what others said about you."

"Oh, you mean, how it was amazing a vixen made it to the ZNN, and that the place was lowering their standards when hiring the staff?"

"No, I was talking about the good things." Growley said to her. "Not all mammals have bad opinions on foxes. Of course, there are some guys who say bad things about you, but you'd be surprised on how many mammals actually speak well of you, especially the ones who worked with you. They speak a lot of how you are dedicated to your work, of how straightforward you are as a reporter, and how much you are dedicated to finding the truth… Honestly, I never understood why you never presented any of your own stories."

Vicky flinched a bit of it.

"I… have not been in a good place in the past year." She said, purposely avoiding to speak of how Stan tricked her for that whole time. "But… I finally decided to take my career on my own paws and fight for it. I decided that it was due time… which is why Staglore is so upset."

"Yeah, I heard that some of the stories he presented were done by you." Growley said. "I heard that you two had some kind of 'arrangement'…"

"Anyway, I don't think I'll ever find a story as interesting as the interview." Vicky said, not wanting to delve in that for longer than they already have. "I mean, interviewing a mage surely is a big thing, and that interview basically answered most of the questions about mages that everyone had."

"Yeah." Growley admitted. "Still, now that we all know that there are mages out there, this makes us wonder just what else is out there." She said, "I mean, the supernatural exists, and that gotta be the biggest thing we have had in the past century. Also, there is the fact that the ferret herself admitted that there were things she was not telling. This makes us wonder what else we can discover…"

Vicky had to agree with her in that point. Yeah, there were many things that were still left unanswered, and these things opened space for a lot more speculation from everyone else, as now that everyone knew that mages existed, this made them wonder if other things were also real, like dragons, vampires, and all of that stuff. Not to mention that there was a lot of more speculation about what the Association was hiding, which included some theories that said that they had an army of evil spirits and three-headed dragons trained to obey their orders.

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure that there will always be stories to tell." Growley said, "There will always be things happening, and there will always be the need for people to know what is going on. That is why we need good reporters, like you."

There was a lot of sincerity in these words. That much Vicky could say, and she couldn't help but feel glad for hearing such things.

"Thanks a lot, Ms. Growley."

"Oh, you can drop the 'Miss'." Growley said to her. "You can just call me Fabienne." She said, and Vicky smiled back at her.

"Well, I guess I can call you that… if you call me Vicky." She said, and both females laughed at this. Soon they were both walking away, chatting as if they were old friends…

* * *

Meanwhile, things were moving along in the ZPD.

The place looked pretty much like it did on any other day. It had gotten better in the previous week, as it seemed that the number of protests and crimes had diminished after they grew because of the website. There were no longer vandalisms and attacks to places related to the supernatural, and it seemed that most mammals had lost their will to protest over mages. At least they stopped being so public about it.

However, scammers were still a kind that sprouted every now and then, as it was possible to notice as Nick and Judy brought, once more, Duke Weaselton.

The weasel still wanted to make money out of the situation, like many other scammers and petty criminals out there were. Of course, Nick and Judy had busted him and took him in, just like last time.

The most impressive, in Nick's opinion, was that the weasel was doing the same thing that he did when they caught him last time: selling devices that could detect the presence of mages. He was selling them as artifacts that had been developed in secret, and that worked by "detecting the presence of the Magic Circuits in the body of a mammal", allowing it to identify mages, as well as "detecting the magical energy that they use to make their spells", as the weasel announced to people.

Judy thought that it was amazing just how many mammals had actually bought these devices.

"There is a sucker in each corner, and at each five seconds another one is born." Nick said to her as she mentioned how amazing it was that mammals could be so gullible.

Once they put Weaselton "on the freezer", they were both walking back, passing by the front desk in the process.

"Oh! Judy! Nick!" A voice called, and they turned to look at Clawhauser, who was looking at them.

"Yo, Benji." Nick said to him, "So, everything alright in the donut office?"

"Oh, just fine!" Clawhauser said to him. "I just found out that there will be a promotion on Gazelle merchandising tomorrow at my favorite store! I'll get a lot more shirts!"

Nick and Judy both smiled at this. It was good to see Benjamin back to his normal shelf. In the past months, the big cheetah had been clearly worried and troubled with something, certainly over all that was going on. The fact that he was smiling like he used to was a good sign. He was among the ones who got a lot calmer and a lot more positive after the interview, even though he had become somewhat more edgy in the first two days after it, but now he was in a better mood.

"Well, anyway, I wanted to tell you that the Chief has called both of you to his office." Benjamin said, and this wiped the smiles off the two cops' faces.

"The Chief wants to see us?" Nick asked, "Why?"

"He didn't said." Ben said, as he opened a box of donuts and picked one. "He just said that I should talk to you when you came back and ask you two to please come to his office."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Nick said, "'Please'? Did the Chief actually said 'please'?"

Ben nodded, "Yeah, I found it a bit strange too. Normally he is only nice and polite when he is really mad, but he didn't sounded mad… actually he sounded… well, it is hard to explain, but he sounded a bit serious, but not angry."

Nick and Judy both shared a look.

"So, wanna go see what this is about?" Nick asked to the bunny, "There is still time to run."

Judy looked at him, and soon, they both decided to go see what it was that the Chief wanted.

After an elevator ride and a walk to the buffalo's office, they knocked the door, to which the familiar, booming voice of the bull answered:

"Who is it?"

"It's Hopps and Wilde!" Judy said back. "Clawhauser said that you wanted to talk to us."

"Yes, yes…" Bogo's voice came from inside. Soon, the sounds of footsteps were coming from inside, and the buffalo opened the door. "Please, come in."

There was the "please", now coming straight from the buffalo's lips. This was something a bit unusual to hear in your everyday life. This made the cops wonder if the situation was serious, and if either of them was actually in trouble.

"Please, take a seat." Bogo said as he closed the door, and soon, the two cops had climbed into the much bigger chair, and were now standing on it. The Chief didn't said anything as he walked around the desk and sat on his own chair.

For a while, he said nothing, and this served to make the two officers worried.

"Uhh, sir?" Judy said, and this caused the buffalo to look back at her. "Is there… any reason why we are in here?"

"If it is about something we have done, we are both ready to apologize and promise never to do it again, whatever it was…" Nick said, and Bogo looked at him, but merely sighed.

"You two did nothing… so far." Bogo said, and he sighed. "I just… wanted to talk."

The two mammals shared a look. The Chief calling someone because he "wanted to talk"? This was unusual, and it was not something that either of them had expected. It was not how the Chief usually acted.

Still, in the past days Bogo had not been acting like he normally did. He had been a bit more distant at work ever since that night on the warehouse, and it got a bit more serious after the interview came along.

It seemed that the Chief had something on his mind.

"Everything has been crazy lately…" Bogo said, "With the mages, and magecraft, and all of that stuff… I'm now not sure of many things…"

The two mammals said nothing at this. However, they did noticed that the Chief seemed… upset.

"For months I have dismissed all of that talk of mages and this stuff as being fake." Bogo said, "I mean, I grew up believing all of it to be fake… to be absurd… I knew that this was all illogical and unreasonable… I was absolutely sure that it was all fake… until that night…"

Both officers didn't knew if they were suppose to say anything on the matter. So, in doubt, they decided to remain silent.

"I haven't really know what to think ever since that day… I still don't… I just know that now I'm pretty sure that magic, or magecraft, or whatever is really a thing…" Bogo said, and the cops looked at him.

"I keep remembering practically everything that happened in that night, over and over again, as if it was a movie…" Bogo said, and he then rose his head to look at the two cops. "And one of the things I remember, was how that tiger looked at you, Wilde…"

Nick tensed as the buffalo said that.

"He recognized you… and he called you _Russet_. It was the name used for your disguise, I know because you kept complaining on cliché it was for a fox to be called Russet…"

"Oh, yeah… that…" Nick said, a bit awkward. "That was because that tiger was one of the mammals from the busting of the illegal fights… You see, he and the coyote… they were the mammals that Wolfard and I chased. The ones that got us surrounded…"

Bogo looked at him, and nodded.

"Did you knew they were mages?" Bogo asked. It was a very direct and straight question, and Nick tensed as he heard that. Now, he knew that he was threading on very dangerous waters, and that a single wrong word would cost him his job.

The buffalo looked at the fox, and his gaze shifted to the bunny, who also looked to be nervous.

"You both would be terrible at poker." Bogo said to them. Nick wanted to say that he was just caught off-guard, but he knew that this would be an admittance of guilt. The buffalo looked at them. "Tell me everything."

The two mammals shared a look among themselves.

"Or you'd rather have me put both of you on parking duty for the rest of your lives?" He asked, and the cops knew that they preferred to avoid this, but they also knew that there was a lot of things that they should not tell Bogo. Still, under the hard gaze of the buffalo, they found themselves unable to lie.

They ended up telling to him practically everything. Nick explained of him of what really happened in that place with Wolfard and the two mages, and how it seemed that Wolfard had his memory altered (what he was now absolutely sure due to the ferret's revelations). Meanwhile, they also explained how Nick and Judy had been followed by strange creatures, with Nick being followed by that blue butterfly, while Judy was being followed by a crow. She even offered to show Bogo the records that she kept on her sightings of the crow, but the buffalo refused.

Now, the two cops looked at the Chief, as they both waited for his answer. Nick was particularly worried, for he had just admitted that he had lied on his official report, and that was something very serious for a cop to do. Judy was also worried, for she had helped Nick keep it a secret, and this meant that she was hiding information from her Chief and from the other cops.

They waited for an onslaught of the buffalo any second now. However, they were surprised when the buffalo simply deflated.

"You two did well to hide it from me."

The two mammals could only stare flabbergasted at the buffalo.

"If I heard any of you mention any of these things, I would probably have fired you on the spot… or at least demoted you to the archive." Bogo said, "Hiding it was probably the smartest thing that you both could have done…"

There was something wrong.

Both of the mammals knew that there was something very wrong with their boss.

He was saying that they did the right thing by hiding something and lying to him. Not only that, but he didn't even seemed angry. He did seemed upset, but not like he normally did. This was not how he usually acted. This was not the fiery Chief Bogo that they both knew.

"Chief, is there anything wrong?" Judy ventured to ask, and the Chief snorted, but not an angry snort.

"Wrong…" The buffalo said, "Yeah, I can say that a few things could be wrong… I could be wrong…"

There was a silence in the room after that was said. A silence that was broken by Nick, who was rave enough to say:

"Okay, I have the feeling that you are really upset about all that is going on." Nick said to the buffalo, who looked at him. "Also, by the way that you are acting, I would say that it is something _really_ personal." The fox concluded, and Bogo glared at the fox.

"Sir?" Judy said, causing the gaze of the buffalo to shift to her. "What are you so upset about?"

Bogo looked at her, and at Nick. After a few moments, he sighed.

"Do you two know why I never liked talking about my brother?" He asked, and the two mammals shared a look. They didn't even knew that Bogo had a brother.

"We used to get along great when we were calves." Bogo said, "We used to hang out together nearly all the time. We did a lot of things together. I looked up to him, and I admired him. But one day…" There was a pause, the two animals looked expectantly at Bogo, and he continued:

"We were passing the summer in our uncle's farm. There was a forest nearby, and Timmy loved to go in there and explore. I tried to tag along, but he had a lot more experience than I did. Also I… was kind of afraid of the dark woods."

Judy and Nick shared a look.

"I was ten, okay?" Bogo said, and soon he was continuing:

"One night, he went to the forest and took too long to come back. Our uncle was getting worried. Heck, _I_ was worried." Bogo said, "And then, all of sudden, he comes rushing back through the door. He is all dirty, his clothes thorn, he was bleeding from the head and looked like he had seem a ghost. He was frantic when he came, and he kept talking something about 'monsters' and about 'dead mammals'."

Bogo took a moment, and the two continued to listen in a respectful silence.

"It took nearly an hour before he calmed down enough to tell us what had happened." The buffalo said, and he was grimacing. "He told a story about mammals hiding in the woods, doing some kind of ritual, and about mammals exploding as if they were dynamite. Needless to say, my uncle didn't believed him. He even wanted to take us to the place where he said it happened. We went there in the morning, but we found nothing."

Bogo sighed.

"After that, things got… hard." He said, "My brother continued to tell to others the same story that he told us. He told our parents. His friends. Kids from our school. But no one ever believed him. They called him a nutcase, a liar, they picked up on him for saying these things. Mom and dad didn't liked the story he was saying, and our father was… well, lets just say that he didn't liked anyone saying foolishness."

"My parents took him to specialists, and they all concluded the same thing: my brother really believed that the story he was telling was truth." Bogo said, "Of course, you must imagine how my parents reacted to that."

"They said that maybe it was a way of his mind trying to process some traumatic experience that he had in the woods. One of them even said that it could be because of the blow that he had in the head." Bogo continued. "My parents forced him to make therapy, but overtime it only got more troublesome. He got mad at the therapists for wanting to convince him that his story was not real. Got mad at mom and dad for not believing him… Got mad at me for not supporting him…"

It was obvious that this was a sensitive point.

"But… they all knew… I knew… that the story that my brother told could not be truth." Bogo said, "Because we all knew that magic wasn't real."

A deep silence followed these words, as they two animals considered all that had happened.

"Well," Nick said, being the one to break the silence, "That certainly would explain why you were so uptight about the magic thing."

Bogo said nothing in return, and the lack of response for Nick's remark had let him know how serious that was. That and the glare that Judy was currently giving him.

"He never let go of that, you know?" Bogo continued, "Actually, he started to research on similar things. These things of occultism, supernatural, esoteric, all of that crap you can find on old dusty books or online." The buffalo said to them. "The rest of the family all but gave up on him, myself included."

Bogo seemed really upset as he said that last part. The big buffalo sighed.

"Back in January, I went to visit him." Bogo said, "It was a resolution I had made. I just wanted to talk but… it didn't went well."

"It started out nice, actually, we talked about the past, about the fun we had, but then we started going on the subject of what happened with him in the woods that night. Before I know it, we are discussing about him spending all of his time researching that occultism crap." Bogo said, "It ended with me telling that he should go look for someone to fix his head so he could finally move on from this stupidity and leaving."

Bogo leaned back on his chair and looked at the ceiling.

"My brother used to be my hero…" He said to no one, "I looked up to him, admired him, and the last time I saw him I basically called him a lunatic… But, what else I was to say? I did thought that he was crazy for believing in all of that magic stuff, because I knew that magic didn't existed… but now…"

"Now you know it does." Judy completed the thought. Bogo let out a gigantic sigh, and was now massaging the bridge of his muzzle with his hoof.

"What if he was right?" The buffalo said. "What if something really _did_ happened in the woods. What if he actually saw something, but no one believed him when he was saying the truth? The idea that I spent all those years thinking of my brother as insane when he was actually right…"

Once more, the two diminutive officers remained in silence, as they took in this new piece of information that they had just learned about Bogo. It surely explained a lot of the instance that the buffalo had on the videos and the existence of magic, and it certainly explained why he had been so affected by it.

Nick didn't quite understood it fully, for he was an only child. Judy, however, had a multitude of siblings, and she could imagine what would be like to be on bad terms with them, as she had been in more than one occasion. She could fully sympathize with Chief Bogo and what he was going through.

"Sir?" Judy said, "Would you… would you mind if I gave you an advice?"

Bogo looked at her. He looked tired.

"I think you should try to talk to your brother." Judy said to him. Bogo merely looked at her.

"I already tried that, Hopps, and it didn't worked out well, in case you weren't paying attention."

"You should give it another try." Judy urged him. "I mean, it is obvious that this is eating you up."

"She is right." Nick said.

"So, I guess that maybe you should try talking to your brother again." Judy said to him. "Maybe this time you two can actually find some common ground to talk. If you now believe that he could be right on what happened to him, then you should go and tell him that. It is hard for anyone to admit that they could be wrong… but it could not be worse than definitely losing a relative. Especially out of pride…"

Judy said, and for a long moment, she and the buffalo just looked at each other.

"I received a call an hour ago about some mammals who are reuniting in the street." Bogo said, recomposing himself. "Apparently they are trying to start yet another protest. I want you and Wilde to go in there look at it. Right now, if possible."

Judy and Nick shared a look. Judy even wanted to say something more, but she was interrupted by Nick.

"Count on us, sir. Let's go, partner." He said, and soon Judy was following him into the door. On the way, Nick whispered to her:

"Give him some time. You already made an impact."

Judy didn't really understood. Of course, she had failed to notice the introspective look that Chief Bogo now had as he was left alone in his office.


	21. Reconciliation

Zootopia had indeed became calmer in the last week. It were seven days straight without another protest in the city or in the neighboring areas. It really seemed that everyone had calmed down after the interview.

However, there were still some mammals who insisted to make a fuss.

As Nick and Judy approached on foot, they were soon able to make out the form of mammals that composed the group that was trying to form another protest. It should be a little over dozen or so of them, and they were holding some signs that read things like: "**God Hates Magecraft**", and "**Mages Go Home**".

"Well, these guys actually go by the book." Nick said as he and Judy walked to the group. "They lack imagination, but I guess that you can't go wrong with the classics."

As they continued to approach, they could also hear them seeming to be chanting a motto:

"Mages leave our city!" They chanted, over and over again.

"Look at that, they even have their own battle cry." Nick said as they approached, and Judy simply remained silent, until both of them were near enough for her to try to talk to them.

"Excuse me. Excuse me, sir? Ma'am?" The bunny tried, but she was drowned by the voices of the agitators. "Will you… I just want to… Hey. Hey!" The bunny continued trying, and Nick was about to say something to her, when she finally lost he cool and she screamed out on top of her lungs:

"SHUT UP!"

The scene immediately froze, as all eyes turned to the bunny. Most of them were looking shocked for that small bunny being able to scream with such force. Nick was among them. He was not really surprised, but it still got to him just how loud Judy could be when she truly wanted to.

Judy took a deep breath, and she looked at the protestors. "Ladies and gentleman, could you all please listen to me for a second?" She said, and there was no answer, so she continued, "I'm Officer Hopps, and this is my partner Officer Wilde." Nick gave everyone a salute as he was presented, "We would like to know what is the goal you all have in here?"

"Ain't that obvious?" Said a voice, making Nick and Judy turn to it.

"We want to help others see that these mages are dangerous and that they should not be allowed to be among righteous mammals." Said the female armadillo, who had brownish-grey coloration on her body, stood on 3'4'' feet tall, and was dressed in a kind of "grandma style". Judy recognized her instantly.

"You!" The bunny said, and Nick was not far behind.

"Well, look at that, if it isn't the armadillo lady." Nick said, "So, I never got to ask you how was that tea you said you were going to drink."

The armadillo glared at him. "First of all, my name is Eunice Armadill. _Mrs. Armadill_ to you, fox." She said, rather aggressively. "Second of all, what I do in my free time is none of your business!"

"You don't talk to my partner like that." Judy said to her. "Now, I'd really like to know what is your goal doing all of this? Are you trying to start another protest? Because this would count as disturbing order."

"We are merely expressing ourselves." Said Armadill. "We are letting our opinions on these witches and sorcerers clear. Ain't that correct?" She asked the crowd, and many agreed with her.

"Oh, so you're not a fan?" Nick asked her, and Mrs. Armadill glared at him again, and she seemed ready to say something to him, but one gaze at the bunny who was with him was enough to make her change her mind.

"Are you going to arrest us?" the armadillo asked the two cops, but she seemed to be deliberating avoiding to look at Nick or address him specifically. "Because we are in all rights to express our opinion."

"Yes, you are." Judy agreed with her. "As long as you do so in an organized way. The constitution defends the right to protest, as long as these protests are made without any violence, and as long as you respect the rights of other mammals."

"Oh, so we are doing something wrong because we are not respecting the rights of a bunch of devil worshippers?" The armadillo asked, seeming like she was quite outraged by the bunny. "What about _our_ rights? What about the right of knowing that we are safe from someone who will cast a curse on us and turn us into stone? What about our right to know that our children and grandchildren will not be at risk of becoming target to some mage who decided to have a little fun at the cost of some innocent mammal? What about out rights to be sure that we don't live in the same place of some evil animal who kills chickens and uses their blood to paint a pentagram on the ground?"

As she spoke, many of the small crowd were agreeing with her. All the while, they got curious looks from many mammals who were passing by. Judy had listened to the talk of Mrs. Armadill, and she wanted to say something to her, however, the memories of the ritual that she caught being perform a little over a week before was something that still clung to her head.

"Wow…" Nick said, getting the attention of the two females. "You really are quite uptight, aren't you, Mrs. Armadill?"

"Excuse me?" The armadillo asked the fox, who continued to smile at her.

"What was it, did the magician your parents hired for your birthday scared you will he made a pidgeon come out of his hat?" He asked, and the armadillo lady looked pretty angry at him for saying that, "Tell me, what have mages done to get you so angry?"

"They are evil!" The armadillo said, "What they do is not natural, they are dangerous!"

"Well, I'm sure you have your reasons to say something like that…" Nick said, and the armadillo lady was quick to cut him:

"Of course I do!" She spoke to him, sounding really pissed. "Or have you forgotten a few months ago when a mage threatened me!?"

"Well, not that I want to defend the mage, or anything…" Nick said, remembering full well of the episode that the armadillo lady was talking about. "But, it seemed to me that he was only dancing, and he was about to leave without causing problems, until the moment you decided to insult him." Nick spoke to her. "So, he might have been aggressive, but you were being aggressive before he was."

The armadillo looked to be utterly mad at Nick as he spoke that, if the glare she was giving him was of any indication.

"So, yeah, that kind of was your fault." Nick concluded his thought, ignoring the glare. "Maybe that wouldn't have happened if you were a little bit nicer. You know, maybe gave him a coin for performing so well…"

"Now listen here, fox!" The armadillo said, but she was unable to conclude her thought, for Judy immediately interrupted her:

"Mrs. Armadill!" Judy said, causing the armadillo look at her. "Before you say anything that could constitute disrespect with an authority, speciest behavior, or anything else that could account as a felony, I recommend you to think twice!"

"Oh, so you will arrest me now?" The armadillo said to her. "Curious, you didn't seemed very keen on arresting these mages when I told you to!"

Judy didn't answered, and the armadillo took this as a sign that she had made a point.

"How curious that you didn't wanted to arrest these trouble makers and one of them turned out to be one of these dangerous mages, who do things like black magic and casting curses on others! That is unacceptable!" She said to them, and the two cops only looked back at the armadillo. "This goes against moral and good customs, and we are not going to simply lower our heads and accept this!"

As she spoke that, many of the crowd agreed with her, and Nick and Judy only looked. Nick had a mask of indifference, but it did bothered him that so many mammals could act so ignorant. Judy was clearer on her dissatisfaction through her unamused expression. However, there was nothing much that they could do…

Suddenly, a sound of clapping filled the air, accompanied by a voice.

"Very good!" The voice said, "What a nice speech!"

Everyone turned to look, and the eyes of the three small mammals widened. Of the armadillo lady in particular, who looked like she had just seen a ghost.

The horse stood in there, clapping his hooves at the armadillo lady. He had changed his clothes for a white shirt and red jacket, as well as a pair of long crimson pants. Still, it was possible to recognize the horse. The armadillo could not forget the mammal who threatened her with a heart made of flames, and Nick and Judy still remembered the horse perfectly well from the night on the storehouse.

Percy smiled at all of them. "Oh, how fancy is it that we all shall meet again in a situation like that!" He said to the three, and the crowd looked at the horse, some of them rather confused.

Nick and Judy had been quick to turn to him and reach for their weapons, and they pointed it at the horse as he approached. They soon saw that the horse was not alone, as Evan, the blue-furred dog, was with him. They both looked at the small cops.

"Hello, once again, officers." He said to the two, "You look particularly good, Officer Hopps, considering that you have been stabbed into the stomach."

"Hold it there." Judy said, pointing a dart gun at him.

"Oh, don't trust me, huh?" Percy said, "Well, can't really blame you, once my friends threatened you…"

"Yeah, they certainly did." Nick said, remembering full well when Judy had been stabbed by that possum. "Where are your friends, by the way?"

"Oh, they are dealing with a few things." Percy said, "Things were a bit crazy ever since that night, they are still giving Butch a hard time for letting himself be darted… Oh, hello there! How you doing?" He said to the armadillo lady, who looked ready to faint as she looked at him.

"A-arrest him…" She said, starting to duck behind the two officers. "H-he is a mage! Arrest him now!" As she spoke that, the rest of the crowd reacted, as many now looked at the horse, and he only smiled back at the crowd with a smile. He took a hoof to his lips and blew a kiss. This kiss produced a violet flame that took the form of a heart, and floated into the air.

Everyone backed away at this. Nick and Judy were even more at attention, and the armadillo lady squeaked and she almost tripped on her own feet as she stumbled backwards, it seemed that she as ready to curl in a ball.

"Don't move!" Judy said to him. "Please, do not try anything!" She said as she pointed the dart gun at the horse. He simply chuckled, and the flaming hear started to float around him.

"Don't worry." He said to the bunny cop. "I don't plan on getting on trouble with anyone today… unless I get pissed off again." He said, giving a look at the armadillo lady, who squeaked once more, and this time she did curled up un a ball, rolling backwards. This caused Percy to laugh.

The cops continued to point their dart guns at him, and he looked back at the cops.

"Yeah, I really wanted to apologize for both of you for that night at the storehouse." Percy said to them. "It was really nothing personal."

"Oh, really?" Nick said to him, "So, stabbing mammals and threatening them is not personal?"

"It were orders from the boss." Percy said, "When she tells us to do something, we gotta do it. Seriously, you have no idea what that woman does with who doesn't listen to her…"

"Yeah, we are not really interested in it, Percy." Nick said to him, "By the way, it is just 'Percy', or do you have a surname? You know, so we can make the arrest a bit more official."

The horse looked at him for a few moments. Then his face brightened.

"Oh, yeah!" He said, "I never truly got to introduce myself, did I? How rude of me…"

As he said that, he gave a step back, and he seemed like he was ready to formally introduce himself. And he did:

"Known as 'Lord of the Flaming Rainbow' and 'Rebellious Joker', member of the Black Vipers, I am Percival Colter, of the Colter clan." The horse said, bowing to the two officers, all under the eyes of the watching group of protesters and of many curious mammals who had already fished their phones out and were recording that. He got up from the bow and added:

"Or at least I was until my parents kicked me out."

"Wow… that is something." Nick said, still aiming carefully at the horse, all the while he kept his eyes in the dog that was on the background.

"Yeah, mages have the tradition of introducing themselves to others, including their associations and their titles, when they think it is worth it." The horse said to him. "We are very keen on traditions, you know… well, most of us, anyway."

"Charming." Nick said.

"Yeah, we try to be charming with others." The horse said with a smile. Meanwhile, nick still kept an eye for the dog on the background.

"What about him?" Nick asked, "Ain't he gonna introduce himself?"

"Yeah, I'm not much like that." The dog said, and Percy agreed.

"Yeah, Evan used to be a technocrat." He said to the two officers. "These guys are a bit more serious than mages, if you can say so. They don't take presentation and formality much in account."

"How interesting…" Nick said, still masking his worry as he heard that, and kept his eyes into the two mammals, Judy still by his side. "Technocrats are the super sci-fi guys, right? They don't like to appear as much as mages, so?"

"They are a bit more formal, if you say so. Kind of like scientists, they don't have much time for things like formal presentations and ceremonies." He said to them, "Not as much as mages, anyway. Between us, I think that deep down all mages have a certain flair for the theatric."

"Yeah, I can see that." Nick said to him, "For guys who lived a long time hiding, it seems that some of you guys actually like attention…"

Colter chuckled. "Yeah, some of us actually enjoy being at the center of attention, even if it is not for our magecraft. We enjoy being recognized by others and to have others admire our skills. Of course, some mages have this more than others, and some of us actually go as far as to try and get attention. That can lead to trouble."

Percy said, and he looked up. "Can I be totally honest?" He asked to the two small officers, and he looked at them. "I am kind of glad that we got exposed."

The two looked at him, and the horse chuckled.

"Many would be mad at me for saying something like that, but I _am_ glad that we are no longer a secret, and that the cone of silence has fallen." He said to them, "Now, I can get to do a lot of things that I've always wanted."

"Really?" Nick asked him, "Like what?"

"Like…" The horse said, turning to the flaming hear that was still floating around him. "This." He said, poking it with his hoof, and making the heart react. The thing swelled a little bit, and started to change colorations. Now the heart was burning more intensely, and it was changing to all colors of the rainbow. This gathered a reaction from all of the mammals around, some of which gasped, and some of which were amazed by what they were seeing, and the two cops were even more on the edge.

"And also… this." Colter said again, and snapped his hooved fingers, creating three puff of flames. Each one took the shape of a specific form. One was shaped like a diamond, one was shaped like a suit of clubs, and the last one shaped like a suit of swords. All of them burned in a kaleidoscope of the colors of the rainbow, just like the heart.

The horse smiled, and he made gestures with his hooves, making all of the shapes that he created to dance around him, with a lot of elegance, it could be added. After a few moments of dance, all of the flaming suits of cards gathered by his sides. The horse snapped his hooves, and all of the symbols swelled and exploded in a great rain of rainbow-colored sparks.

Many mammals reacted at this, with some of them actually clapping at the show that the horse just gave them. Colter even went along with it and bowed to the mammals around.

_Yeah, flair for the theatric._ Nick thought as he looked at the horse, and he had to admit that it was rather impressive. Meanwhile, Judy still pointed her dart gun at him, and she was now reaching for her radio.

Meanwhile, nick noticed movement from behind, and he saw that the dog had his eyes on the bunny, and that he was doing something with his paws, as he looked as if he was tapping on an invisible keyboard.

"Dispatch. This is Officer Hopps requesting back up, Officer Wilde and I have just met a… situation." Judy said, but there was no answer from the radio.

"Dispatch, Officer Hopps, requesting back up." Judy tried again, but not answer. "Clawhauser, are you there?"

Nick looked at her, and reached out for his own radio, and tried it, but it was silent. Nick instantly knew what had happened. It was the dog. It was just like in the storehouse back them when their radios had gone mute. Nick looked at the dog, who had a sly smirk as he looked back at the fox.

"Darn!" Judy said, and she continued to point her dart gun at the horse. "Okay, Percival Colter, you are coming with us."

"Really?" The horse said, "Under what charges?"

"Cruelty with beasts, for killing the crocodiles back at that day in the storehouse." Judy said, "Also for threatening officers and innocent mammals, in the same night."

"Oh… these are actually some good charges." The horse admitted.

"Yes, and you are coming with us." Judy said, and the horse looked back at her.

"I don't think so. I have other things to do." The horse said, and the bunny gave a step forward.

"Mr. Colter, are you resisting prison?" The bunny asked, and the horse smiled at her.

"You can think that if you want." He said casually, "And I really recommend that you let me go."

As he said that, something was glowing on his hoof, something that both Nick and Judy noticed.

"What is that you have?" Judy asked, "Hooves where I can see!"

"We'll be leaving now." The horse said, raising his hoof, to show that he now had a card-shaped rainbow flame in it. "And you will be letting us go, if you know what is good for you."

"You have just added threats to cops." Judy said to him. "Now, put down… that thing, and place your hooves in your head."

The horse looked at her, and he smiled, and gave two steps in her direction, a very clear provocation, that immediately caused a reaction. Judy gave a shot with her dart gun, but the horse didn't minded this, for he swiped the card on his hoof, and sliced the dart clear in half midflight, causing both parts of it to fall to the ground.

Immediately after, the horse made a gesture to the side, tossing the flaming card into the air. The thing then described perfect curves in the air, and flew to the two officers. Before they could react, the card passed by their guns, one after the other, slicing through them clean, making their from part fall to the ground while the rest of it remained in their paws.

Both Nick and Judy jumped back at this, as well as many mammals who were watching. The cops were not harmed in any way, but their dart guns had been rendered useless. The card continued to sail through the air, and it returned to the horse, who swiftly grabbed it in his other hoof.

Nick and Judy looked at their dart guns, and then shared a look. They looked back at the horse, as he clasped his hooves together, and opened them in a wide gesturing, generating a myriad of rainbow flaming cards, which now flew in front of him, and they formed some kind of barrier of moving fire cards between the cops and the two mammals.

"They will fly to you if you try to advance." The horse warned them. "I recommend keeping your distance." He spoke, and turned to the dog, "Evan, we will _vanish form the party_ now."

The dog nodded, and tapped a few more keys on his invisible console, and soon, a screen of blue light, identical to that of the night of the storehouse materialized. The horse turned back to the cops.

"It was nice seeing you two again. Especially you, Mr. Russet." He said to Nick. "But, I have to say, it is a little cliché meeting a fox named Russet. It would only be more cliché if your mother was named 'Vixen'."

"Yeah, I imagine that." Nick said to him, and Judy looked like she was trying to calculate the right moment to jump to avoid all of the flaming cards and go for these two. Nick would probably have to hold her if she tried. "But luckily, my mother's name is Sophie."

"Sophie, huh? Well, that's a nice…" The horse said, but suddenly he stopped, as if he had suddenly realized something. "Wait, 'Sophie', as in… Sophie Wilde?"

Nick looked at him, "Yeah, that's her name, why?"

The horse looked at him for a few moments, and suddenly, he let out a neighing laugh. Nick had an eyebrow raised as he looked at him.

"You…" The horse said, in between laughs, "You are the son of Sophie Wilde!? Oh man, that is rich!"

Nick continued to glare at him.

"Why is that so funny?" Nick demanded, and the horse recovered a little.

"Oh boy! I gotta tell Zane this! We all thinking that you were just a poser, when you actually are the son of the infamous Sophie Wilde! The guys will love this!"

That was all that the horse said, before turning around and walking to the screen that the dog had created. Meanwhile, Judy noticed that the cards were dwindling away and vanishing in the air.

By the time the horse had gone through the screen, the last card vanished from the air, and Judy immediately sprinted forward.

"Judy!" Nick called her, but she ignored him.

"Stop now!" She cried out, but the horse had already gone, and the dog followed him through the blue screen, which soon vanished in thin air. Judy stopped in the place where the screen had just been, looked around, but she saw absolutely nothing. Not a single clue of both the horse and the dog.

"Crackers!" Judy said. She could not believe that these two had been right on their sights and disappeared like that! It was so frustrating!

"Wow! Did you see that!?" Someone around said.

"Totally! They crossed some kind of dimensional portal!"

"That is so cool!"

"Mages are awesome! I wish I could do that!"

"He was threatening the cops! These mages might be cool, but they are also dangerous!"

While the mammals all around talked among themselves about what they had just witnessed, some of them already uploading the videos on their phones in the internet, Mrs. Armadill was still curled into a ball on the ground. With the silence out, someone nearby could hear her voice asking:

"Are they gone yet?"

* * *

Their radios were working again after a few minutes, and it was enough for Judy to give a call for Clawhauser and tell him to send the forensics team to investigate, after giving a brief resume of what had transpired. The cheetah had been worried at them, but Judy assured him the everything was okay.

After all was solved, Judy and Nick both went back to station, and after filling in requests for new dart guns, they both went to make their reports.

Paperwork. Nick's personal nemesis. That was something that probably would not change. Well, at least now Nick could make an honest paperwork of his meeting with a mage, once he knew that Judy's report would say around the same thing, and that people would be less inclined on calling him crazy.

Nick made his best to work on his report, however, his mind kept going back to what the horse said right before vanishing.

"The infamous Sophie Wilde."

What did that even meant? Nick was not sure what to think of this. Could it be that the horse was just trying to tease him? To get into his head? Could it be that he only wanted a reaction out of Nick? Still, the way that he had spoken that…

Nick barely noticed time pass, until he finally was able to finish his report, and he gave a look at the clock, seeing that it was now very close to the end of their shift.

Sighing, Nick finished what he had to do and decided to go pick up his partner.

He found her right where he expected, on her cubicle, working on her own report. Nick knew that she had picked up the noise of his footfalls, as he saw the movement of her ears, and he just stood by her side, taking a look at the report that she was writing. Which seemed to be almost twice as long as the one that Nick wrote.

"Wow." Nick said, "Now that is a thorough report."

"Well, I did wrote down everything that I could remember." Judy said, "It all might be important if we cross paths with that horse again."

"Yeah, it would be nice for us to know that he can create killer flaming cards… that even sounds like something out of one of the Nipponese cartoons."

"Aaaand done." Judy said, as she finished her report. Nick asked her if he could take a quick look, and she agreed.

The bunny had backed up his story, as he knew that she would do. Nick was surprised at the amount of detail that was written down in there.

"Yeah, you always do a very thorough job, Carrots." Nick said as he looked at detailed descriptions of the horse, of the dog, and of the things that they done, as well as some lines of the words that were spoke back there. Some of them word-by-word.

"You know, I still get amazed by how good your memory is." Nick admitted to the bunny. "You sure you don't have photographic memory or something?"

Judy chuckled, "No, Nick. I just have a really good memory." She said to him. "I guess that is just how I am."

"It is really cool." Nick said to her. "I wish I could remember things so well like that."

"Well, you could try some way of focusing." Judy said to him. "When I want to remember something that I think I forgot, I always try to focus on a glass filling with water and them spilling."

"Really? And that helps?" Nick said.

"Yeah, for some reason it does." Judy said to him. "I don't know why, but every time I picture that in my mind's eye I can remember nearly anything."

Nick nodded at her, and he said:

"So, we are both done with our reports, and just in time for the end of our shift." Nick said to her, "So, wanna get out of here?"

"What? Already?" Judy said, looking at the time and seeing that it was, indeed, the end of their shift. "But we still have things to do. We need to check with forensics if they found clues on the horse and the dog."

"We can very well do that tomorrow." Nick said to her.

"But, Nick." Judy said, "They are both mammals who seem to be inclined to violence! They were part of a group that attempted against our lives and of others! Not to mention that they were obviously with shadowy intentions and related to the tiger and coyote who tried to attack you! We need to get to the bottom of this and find the rest of their group!"

"And then do what?" Nick asked her, "Judy, I don't know if you remember well, but last time we tried to face some mages they kind of got over us easily. What happened today is only another proof that we don't really stand a lot of chance against mages. At least not on our own…"

Judy was forced to agree. She could perfectly remember how easily the horse had them both overpowered, even because she wrote a whole report on how the whole thing went, with a richness of details. She still could barely believe that they were dominated so easily. It all happened so fast.

"Yeah, I imagined you would see my point." Nick said to her. "So, I say that we take a while to rest today and get our strength gathered for another day of work tomorrow. Even because, we do have something important to do today…"

Judy looked up to him, and she saw the face of the fox, it was dead serious.

"We need… to have our movie night." The fox deadpanned.

There was a long silence after this, as Judy only stared at the fox. Suddenly, Judy burst into chuckles.

"Oh, Nick… you dumb fox." She said to him, and Nick smiled at her.

Soon after, the two mammals were moving back to the changing rooms, getting ready to trade their police uniforms by their civilian clothing, and get ready to go back home.

Both Nick and Judy were not the only officers that were changing, and the ones who were changing often talked among themselves.

Nick could very well hear the officers around talking to each other around him.

"Yeah, my brother suspects that his neighbor is a mage." Someone said, and a voice answered:

"Really, why?"

"He says that the neighbor is weird and don't talk to others, and that he doesn't own a cellphone. He thinks that the guy must be a mage, because they are antisocial and hate technology."

"Yeah, maybe, but thinking that the guy is a mage only based on that? He needs a bit more evidence before thinking something like that, don't you agree?"

And these two were not the only ones who were talking about it.

"I still don't believe it." Said Meerkovits, "To think that all this time mages were among us and were kept a secret by a worldwide conspiracy? My brother is going crazy over this, he is a conspiracy theorist, you know? Though he actually believed in aliens…"

"Yeah, it seems that nothing will be the same again." McHorn said, "Now we know that there are mages like that who can create flames out of thin air and throw them at others. I'm not gonna lie, I'm still a bit nervous…"

"You should be." Said McChill, as the burly polar bear changed from his police uniform. "If mages are half as powerful as they say, then I guess all of us have good reasons to be worried."

"Yeah, but the ferret girl said that mages have their own laws and police." McHorn said back at him. "I guess that should make us a little safer, right?"

McChill scoffed, "Yeah, as if you can believe the words of a ferret. I don't doubt that she lied to us at least about part of what she said."

Nick could only roll his eyes at this. Of course that the polar bear would continue to be the same speciest jerk of always. The revelation of the existence of the supernatural would not get him to change."

"Be a little more speciest, will yah?" Wolfard said, as he walked close, he now was only on his boxers. "Anyway, I gotta admit that knowing that are some mages like that makes me a bit nervous, because there are some among them that do not respect rules. Wilde and Hopps met with a mage today, and he threatened them with flames. Seriously, is on the internet. The guy is a horse."

Nick sighed. Of course, it would be on the internet. It was no surprise, after all, mages are still a big thing, and any video of them posted online about them would be some hot stuff. That craze would still take a while to go away, if it went away at all.

"Yeah, I saw it!" Fanghanel said, "This guy dared to threaten Zootopia's darlings! He is lucky I was not there! Otherwise I'd have punched him in the muzzle! But don't worry, Judy is fine, I just came back from the female changing rooms."

"You were in the female locker rooms?" Someone asked, and the wolf said back:

"Of course, I had to check on Judy to see if she was okay!" He spoke as if it was the perfectly reasonable thing to do. "These mages better keep away from them! I don't have anything against mages, I kind of like their magic and stuff, since I was a pup, but if they dare try to harm them or my pumpkin, by my ancestors fangs, I'll give them beating!"

"Yeah, but you were really in the female locker room?"

"Yeah, I was, and the placed is cleaner than ours… Well, as far as I could see, the girls practically dragged out of there by the tail…"

Nick rolled his eyes, and he continued to change.

Once he was back into his civilian clothes, he met up with Judy, who also had changed. She smiled at him in her green shirt and jeans pants. As they walked in direction to the exit:

"Nick! Judy!"

They both turned around to see Benjamin running to them. He too had changed, as he was wearing a pink t-shirt and a pair of pants that looked a little snug on him. He was rushing to the two, and he was panting a bit as he stopped in front of them.

"GuysIjustsawthevideoareyoutwookayomgoodnessIcantbelivethishappened-"

"Clawhauser. Benjamin. Ben!" Judy said, getting the cheetah to stop his frantic talking, "Take a deep breath." Judy said, and the cheetah obeyed, breathing deeply and puffy his cheeks in a comic way, before he let it out, and then he resumed talking, this time more calmly.

"Guys, I just saw the video online." He explained to them. "How you two met up with a mage on the street and that he threatened both of you… How he destroyed your equipment with fire. Are… are you paws okay?"

"Yeah, no burns or anything, and no missing fingers." Nick said, massaging his paw. "But I gotta say; it did gave us a scare."

"Oh, I'm so glad you two are okay." Benjamin said to them. "I still can't believe that the horse did that! Using magecraft against non-mages like that is not nice! It is illegal! The Codex forbids things like that froooooooom…" Benjamin was saying, but he stopped when he saw the way that the two smaller mammals were looking at him.

"W-well, I assume that it forbids from using magecraft against others like that…" He said to them. "I mean, there are laws against killing, so there must be laws against using magecraft as a form of aggression, unless it is for self-defense… I mean, it is the same with weapons on our laws, right?"

"Yeah… I guess you are right." Judy said, and she seemed to accept it, however, Nick was still looking at the cheetah with a raised eyebrow.

"Anyway, I'm so glad that you two are okay." Ben said, "So, you two leaving already?" Ben asked them, "Well, I'm leaving too. I just finished my shift and Blackhorn has just taken my place at the front desk. Maybe we can all go together."

"Yeah, sounds nice." Nick said to him, "But, I have to ask, what Buffalo Butt thinks of you leaving sooner?"

"Buffalo Butt has no problem with it." Said a voice, and Nick turned his head to see the familiar form of Chief Bogo approaching them. "Mainly because he will be leaving early as well."

The Chief had changed clothes as well, as now he was wearing a pair of black pants and a red shirt. It kind of looked good on him, but both Nick and Judy admitted that it was strange seeing him out of his uniform. However, it was not stranger than the fact that the Chief was leaving early from work.

"What?" The buffalo asked as the two officers stared at him as if he has grown an extra pair of horns. "I finished my own business early today, and I have the right to give myself a break from time to time, don't I?"

The two were forced to admit that it was truth, and while it was strange seeing the boss leaving work like that, they knew that he too needed a break.

"I see… so, you gonna tag along with us too, Chief?" Nick asked, and the buffalo looked at him.

"Not likely." The chief said, "I'm going somewhere else tonight, as a matter of fact…" he said as he checked his cellphone. "My Zuber will be here in a few minutes."

"Zuber, huh?" Nick asked, and Judy was the one who asked the next question:

"And, where are you going, sir?"

"I'm going to mind my own business, Hopps." The buffalo said, "As all of you should." He said and he walked away, not even bothering to look at any of them three mammals who only stared at him as he left.

The silence lasted for a few moments, before the cheetah broke the silence.

"Soooooo, you guys wanna share a cab?"

"Better the train." Nick said, turning to him. "Cheaper, and with more space of all of us."

"Yeah, the train really is better." Judy said, and Ben agreed with them, as they were all taking the train.

"I wish I knew what the Chief is going to do now?" Judy said, "Think he will go see his family?"

"Yeah, I guess that is kind of it, Carrots." Nick said to the bunny. "More precisely… I have the feeling that he is going to follow your advice."

Judy looked at her, a bit confused.

* * *

Bogo had his Zuber arrive very shortly, much to his pleasure. However, he felt a little of tension as he walked inside of it, for he knew that he was going to do something that was hard. He knew that in the moment he gave the address to the driver, as if it was a confirmation for himself that he was really going to do it.

Bogo's house was in Savannah Central, as it had been for years now. It was a good neighborhood, not very expensive, but a good place. However, the address that he had just given the driver was different, and it led him to a more distant part of the city.

Bogo looked out of the window, as he thought on what he was going to do tonight. He saw the buildings move past as the scenery changed. Soon there were less buildings and more trees. It was normal, once they were getting really close to the Rainforest District. However, they were not going into the district, but actually on a border between Savannah Central and the Rainforest District. It was a place that had most of the urban look of Savannah Central, but also got a bit of the vegetation and of the humidity of the rainforest. Kind of welcoming, if you were made for that climate.

It was actually nice to look at. However, as the Zuber took a certain road and started to drive down it, the scenery gradually changed. The vegetation started to look rougher, more wild. Also, the buildings and constructions started to look more worm out. They were moving out of the center of the city and into the borders, where things were… a bit rougher than at downtown, where most of the action was.

It was not like suburbs, as it looked to be more like a form of ghetto. Yes, Zootopia also had places like that, as most cities had. Places were the development didn't arrived properly, and that housed poorer mammals. Places like that often had a greater crime rate, but they were actually not bad to live. It was not like they were like the Nocturnal District, but it was the kind of place were a small mammal would not feel very safe, unless they were in a group.

Normally Bogo would not go to a place like that unless it was in business, however, there was something that he needed to do.

Soon, the Zuber was stopping, and Bogo paid for the ride before stepping out. This patch of the street was particularly run down, with some houses in there looking to be in quite bad conditions, both from the lack of care and from the vegetation that was infiltrating and causing damage. The side of the road was cracked, as some trees had their roots go under the asphalt and broke their way up. The moistness was in the air, and Bogo felt like he could get a little damp if he stood in the street for too long.

The buffalo looked at the house that was in front of him, looking somewhat more rundown than the rest of the ones around. It actually kind of looked like a shack made out of pieces of old homes, with the "ceiling" actually being made from plaster sheets that were made waterproof. The place was a bit rusty, and it didn't looked very stable. Still, it was good for someone to live in. Although barely.

Bogo walked forward, until he was standing right in front of the door of the house, which was just as run down as the rest of it, although it still seemed to be quite sturdy.

He stood in front of it… for a few minutes.

_Go on, you wuss. Just knock the door. You came all the way here for this._

Bogo took a while to convince himself, but after taking a deep breath, he was able to raise his hoof, and knock at the door.

A sound came from the inside, as if someone was fumbling at stuff.

There was a silence after that, and Bogo knocked again.

Another sound came from inside, but this time it was a voice.

"I'm going!" The voice said, sounding annoyed. Steps could be heard from the inside, followed by the sound of the door being unlocked. One lock. Two locks. Three locks. Four locks were unlocked, and then, the door opened, and Bogo was left face to face with the one on the other side.

He was a cape buffalo like himself, and he actually looked quite similar to Chief Bogo. He had the same strong features, the same dark fur, the same snout. However, while Bogo had dark eyes, the eyes of that buffalo were of the color of honey, and there was also the fact that, while Bogo had two proud horns, this buffalo only had one, as the left horn was broken, leaving a stub where it once was, which was involved in bandages, mostly to keep the insects from making a home in there. The buffalo was wearing a white tank top and old brown shorts. He was muscled like Chief Bogo, but while the chief was a pure muscle physique, that buffalo actually was more of a "muscle gut", with a prominent belly showing.

For a long moment, the two buffalos only stared at each other. Before Chief Bogo finally broke the silence.

"Hey…"

"Hey." The other buffalo said back, looking to be indifferent to him.

"May I… come in?" Bogo asked, and the buffalo looked at him for a few moments.

"Is this going to end up like back in January? Because my neighbor already complained of the noise this week, I don't want them to complain about screaming."

"I just want to talk."

"You said that back in January."

"Tim, please!" Bogo said, putting his hooves together before he knew that he was doing. The buffalo was quick to put his hooves down, but the other one was already looking at him.

"Wow… the proud ZPD chief, Mansa Bogo, begging to someone… Never thought I'd live enough to see this." Tim said, and Bogo looked down. After a few moments, Tim stopped aside.

"Come in."

Bogo said nothing, and he simply walked past the door. Tim was locking the door, all of the four locks, while Bogo took a look at the place where his brother lived.

He had already seen it back in January when he came last time, and it was pretty much the way that he remembered. Run down, with greasy walls, old and worm out furniture, and three big boards that looked to be filled with newspaper articles and printed things. It looked pretty much like the evidence boards that they had back in the precinct, but while theirs' were filled with things related to crimes and investigations, this one was filled with things that were related to the supernatural.

Bogo knew that because he had been in there months ago, and he had taken a close look in much of what was pinned to that wall. However, looking now, Bogo could easily see that there was considerably more paper in there than back in January.

"You… have been working on your boards." Bogo said, looking for something to say.

"Yeah, I have been busy lately." Tim said as he walked to the table on the corner. In which, there was the only things in the house that didn't seemed old and run down: a laptop and a printer. "There has been a lot more of material for me to look into in the past months, and in the past week, by the way. Of course, not that any of that is anything serious that would be worth the time of a reasonable mammal."

Bogo said nothing, and he looked at the other buffalo walk to the table and sit on it, tapping away in the laptop.

Bogo eventually walked to him.

"Tim. I came to talk." Bogo said as he approached, to which Tim answered:

"I'm just finishing a thing in here." He said, "It will only take a minute."

Bogo would have been mad at any other mammal who had dismissed him like that. However, at the given moment, there was something that prevented him from getting mad. It was mostly his conviction of not letting things escalate like they did on the last time he came to visit his brother.

_It can't end at screaming and me slamming the door on my way out. Not this time._

Bogo decided to stand by his side, but at a respectful distance. However, he was close enough to be able to look at the screen.

Now, one thing that the two brothers always had in common was that they didn't had a very good eyesight. Now, Tim had a slightly better eyesight, being able to read at close distances, while Bogo required glasses for reading. Still, Bogo was able to see enough of what Tim was looking at the screen to be able to see something that called his attention…

"Wad… baff…" The buffalo tried to read in a low voice, but it was not low enough for Tim not to hear him.

"Mad_Buffalo." Tim said, startling Bogo slightly. "It is my username online for most things. Kind of fitting, don't you think?" He asked, but Bogo did not answered.

"After all, I spent a lot of my years being called that." Tim continued. "'Look, is the Mad Buffalo! Run!'." Tim said, "'Oh no! Is Timetri Bogo! The Mad Buffalo!'… Yeah, the kids back in school loved saying that every time I walked near." He said, sounding a bit bitter in relation to that, and after a few moments, he was done with the computer, finally leaving it and getting up, to look at his brother.

"So, what is it that you want to talk about?" Tim looked at his brother. Bogo looked back at him, for a long moment, the two brothers only looked to each other.

"Well?"

_Come on, say something_. Bogo said to himself in his head. _Now is not time for your pride, just say it._

"So, it is it to be a guessing game?" Tim asked, "Like we used to do back when we were calves? We would just look at each other and try to guess what the other wanted to say?" The buffalo looked at the other, "Well, I'm not in the mood for this. We are not calves anymore, and it you are not going to say what you want to say, then we could just-"

"I AM SORRY!" Bogo shouted out with a booming voice. A heavy silence followed these words, as the two buffalos only looked at each other, not one of them saying anything to the other, until Bogo was able to take a deep breath and say again, this time with more control:

"I am sorry…"

Tim looked at his brother. "Really? For what?"

Bogo looked at his brother, his face was a mask of indifference. Now, Chief Bogo was not an easy mammal to intimidate, but the indifference in the face of his childhood hero was not something he could take with the same indifference. He looked down, avoiding his gaze.

"For… everything…"

"Oh, right…" Tim said, "And by 'everything', you actually mean _everything_?" He asked the other buffalo. "Including the fact that you never tried to defend me while the other kids called me 'Mad Buffalo'? Or that you never tried to talk to mom and dad when they sent me to all that therapy? For a few months ago when you called me a nutcase yourself and told me that I should put myself in some madhouse to fix my brain?"

Bogo flinched with each thing that his brother said.

"For breaking the promise that we made to each other?" Tim asked, and this time Bogo did looked up. Tim looked at him deadly in the eye.

"The promise we made when we were calves." Tim said to him, "The promise that we would always support each other and be on each other's side. We promised that we would always be supporting each other, even if it means being just the two of us against the world. The promise that, even if everyone else was against one of us, we would always stand together."

"Well, that day had come after that night." Tim said to him, almost accusingly. "After that night, everyone started to call me crazy. No one believed me when I told them what I had saw in the forest that night! Not my friends! Not mom and dad! No one! And my brother, the one mammal that I had expected to be by my side, was not there to support me!"

"You were telling a story that no one would believe!" Bogo said, as if to defend himself. "You were speaking about a wolf who made other mammals explode just by touching them! We all knew that this was impossible! Everyone said that it was impossible, including mom and dad! What was I to do?"

"You should have stood by me!" Tim said accusingly. "You should have known that I would not make up something like that! You should know that I would not invent some story to call attention, and that if I was telling something like that it was because it really happened! You should have stood by me like we had promised!"

After the buffalo was done with his tirade, he only glared at Bogo as he panted. The police chief remained silent as he looked at the other buffalo.

"I… I couldn't…"

Tim looked at him, "Yeah… because if you did, they would call you crazy and liar as well, right?"

Bogo didn't answered, but he flinched with the way that the other buffalo spoke that to him.

"I am sorry." Bogo said again, and Tim only looked at him for a while, before sighing.

"Well, I guess all of that is past now." Tim said, still sounding indifferent, but there was something else in his expression. "To be honest, I was kind of expecting you to come visit at some time, when all that was happening finally convinced you. Took you long enough."

Bogo said nothing, for some reason, he was not as fiery as he normally would be in a situation like that. Somehow, Bogo almost felt like he was a little calf again, especially in the face of what his brother was saying.

"So, what was it that finally made the proud Mansa Bogo to admit that his deranged brother could be right and come talk to him?" Tim asked, and Bogo could not look up at him. "Come on, I'm dying to know."

Bogo wanted to disappear. He wanted to sink into the ground and not have to answer. However, there was a part of him that wanted to go ahead and talk, a part that remembered Hopps' words, and wanted to follow them, even if it hurt his pride more than anything.

"I…" Bogo said, raising his head to look at the other buffalo. "I… met mages a little over a week ago…"

"Oh, really?" Tim asked, and after a moment his eyes widened. "Wait, you mean… the Mage Chaser's were telling the truth?"

"What?"

"They have been telling people for the past week or so that they had a meeting with mages and that they had lost the fottage when the mages had threatened to kill them. And they said that there were cops in there, including the Chief of Precinct 1… Were they telling the truth?"

Tim looked right at Bogo. "Mansa… they tried to kill you?"

Bogo looked in the eyes of his brother, and he could see genuine worry. This caused a strange feeling in his chest, almost as if it warmed his heart.

Bogo ended up telling Tim a briefed version of that fateful night. How he answered to the call of two officers and arrived in time to see mages performing some kind of ritual with crocodile blood. He told of the event with the butterflies, and how he got a wound on his shoulder from a pebble shot like a bullet.

When he heard of this, Tim soon wanted to see his shoulder, and asked him if he was okay. Bogo assured him that he was fine.

"The ferret healed it."

"Ferret? What ferret?"

"Zillah Ferron." Bogo said to him, "She was in the storehouse that night."

Bogo told to his brother how the ferret had intervened with the situation and saved their lives. He told him how she healed one of the wounded officers, and then healed his shoulder.

"Enforcer, huh?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, she just had to toss that dagger in the storehouse and these guys thought that she was one of them." Bogo confirmed, and Tim continued to look at him.

"A dagger with a silver hilt." He said, "Ornate and decorated with some gemstones."

Bogo blinked at his brother, as he had just gave a description of the dagger that the ferret had tossed. One that was actually quite precise.

"Tim…how do you know that?"

The buffalo looked back at Bogo. "Because the wolf had a dagger that was exactly like that." He said, "As well as some of the mammals who he made explode. I know because one of them fell right in front of me while I was hiding."

Bogo looked at his brother, not saying a word. The other buffalo sighed.

"Curious how things get stuck in your mind in perfect detail…" He said, as he looked that now he was remembering something. "I still remember every detail of that night. The way the mammals were performing the ritual. When the other group came, claiming to be 'enforcers' and presenting their daggers. How that wolf suddenly started to cause other mammals to explode after touching them… The way he laughed and smiled as he killed them…"

Bogo looked at his brother, noticing the anguish in his face as he remembered these things.

"I'm glad that you are okay, Mansa." Tim said to his brother. "I'm glad that you escaped without a scratch from that, because the mammals of that night were not so lucky."

Bogo looked at his brother, and he saw that he was truly glad that his younger brother was okay. This caused a wave of guilt in Bogo, for all of the years that he spent thinking that his brother was insane. For Bogo now knew that he had, indeed, saw something on that night. That what he told did really happened.

All this time he kept remembering what he saw on the woods, while everyone else thought that this could not be truth. All the times he tried to tell others what he had witnessed, and everyone dismissed this as something impossible, and either got mad at him or tried to convince him that this was not truth. How was it for him to grow up like that, with no one believing his word? Not being able to talk on what he saw to anyone, and having only to keep remembering and suffering alone for all those years? Not having his own family to support him among all of the difficulty?

Bogo felt like the biggest trash in the world.

"Tim, I… I am so sorry…" Bogo said, "Everyone said that what you were telling was impossible, and the way they acted when you kept repeating that… It seemed that they were only getting mad at you when you told them these things… I just… I didn't knew if I should back you up or not… I should have. I am sorry."

Tim looked at him, and he sighed.

"Yeah, thinking about it, the story did seemed to be impossible back then." The buffalo admitted, and he looked at the ground. "Of course, dad did not helped at all. He was the classic no-nonsense guy. He didn't even liked when we talked about cartoons."

Bogo agreed with him. Truly, their father had always been strict.

"Maybe it was for the best that you did not supported me… You probably wouldn't have made it this far in life." Tim said, "I mean, I spend my life trying to understand what I saw on that forest, and look where this got me." He said, gesturing to the place where he lived.

"I live in an old plaster sack. Work in two half-period jobs. Barely have enough to pay the bills of this place. And the most meaningful relationship I have is with that." He finished, gesturing to the three boards that were full of pieces of paper.

"I spend all the free time I have researching supernatural things in all sources I can find." Tim continued. "I spend a lot of time doing that… I have been more active in the past months, with everything that was happening, with the website, and all of the mammals talking about mages and the ones who claimed to have seen them. I'm not even gonna explain to you about the past week, everyone is going crazy now that they know for sure that mages exist. A lot of mammals are still scared, you know?"

Bogo said nothing, and he only looked at his brother, thinking on what to say.

"The attacks and protests have reduced everywhere." The chief finally said, looking at the ground, before turning his eyes back to his brother. "At least it seems that they don't want to exterminate mages anymore."

"Some do." Tim said, and looked at his brother. "There are all kinds of wackos all around the internet." He said, "I should know, I'm am one of them…"

Bogo looked at him, "You are not a wacko…" He said, and Tim looked at him, "Well, not as much as I always thought anyway…"

"Well, now that is a compliment!" Tim said to his brother, now smiling, "For a guy who was called 'lunatic' just months ago, being told that he is not so crazy surely is a very nice thing to say!"

He laughed right after he said that, and Bogo could actually laugh along with him.

Bogo could hardly remember the last time they both had laughed together like that. The last time that he had laughed like that…

After a while, the two brothers continued to smile, however, Tim had a wistful look on his eyes, and he looked at the boards, his own personal research center, in which he worked for during years.

"There are still many questions that were not answered." Tim said, as he looked at the many pieces of paper that he had in that place. "The ferret said that herself, there are many things that she did not told. There are many things that the mages will still want to keep a secret."

Bogo followed his gaze, and looked back at his brother. "Like… what happened in that forest on that summer night?"

"I need to understand, Mansa." Tim said, "I need to know what happened back there… Why it happened… All these years and I still don't understand what that was all about. Was the guy who killed everyone one of these criminal mages that the ferret talked about? Was he an Enforcer? If he was, why would he kill the other Enforcers? Did he betrayed them? Did he went insane?"

Tim seemed to really be pondering in all of these things, and Bogo only looked at him and, for the first time, he realized why Tim was so keen on researching on all of these things that he looked into. Supernatural, conspiracies, mysteries…

He was trying to find answers.

He was trying to understand what he had saw.

He had been trying that for many years.

"I need answers, Mansa." The buffalo finally said. "I need to know on all of these things. I need to understand what that night was about… Why all of these mammals died like that… This has been driving me crazy all of these years…"

Bogo looked at his brother, and instead of saying anything to him, he simply reached out and put his hoof on his back. He patted his back in silence, before he said:

"Yeah… I need too. Now I do…"

Tim sighed, and he simply let his younger brother pat his back. The two only remained in silence in there, both of them looking at the board.

Bogo had looked at that in the past when he was in there months ago. However, right now, he might not even have noticed, but he was looking at it pretty much the same way that Tim also looked…

* * *

**Well, this concludes this chapter. This one was interesting to write, and I introduced Chief Bogo's brother, Timetri, "Tim" for shorts.**

**The name I used for Bogo is one that I took from the story "Zootopia: File 2", by Empressimperia, 'Mansa' is from an African language, and I think it means "royalty" or something… Also, Eliot Fanghanel, who made a cameo in this chapter, belongs to koraru-san, from DeviantArt.**

**As always, hope you have enjoyed the story, please, Read and Review. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please, no flaming.**


	22. The Curtain Has Risen

Movement was high at the subway, as it was normal in a city like Zootopia. The three officers, now out of their uniforms, were on the station waiting for their train.

"So, what movie should we see today?" Judy asked him.

"You know, Carrots?" Nick said, before looking at her, "I'm feeling awfully nice today, so I'll be letting you decide. After all, we will be seeing it at _your_ home."

"Oh, my. What a gentlemammal." Judy said to him, and Ben just looked at them, and he almost looked like he wanted to squeal as he looked at them. Nick noticed it, and he looked up at the cheetah.

"What about you, buddy?" The fox asked, surprising the pudgy feline. "Would you like to tag along in our movie night? Carrots' apartment is not very big, but I'm sure we can all fit in there."

Benjamin was really surprised at this.

"W-what? Me?"

"Oh, sounds like a good idea!" Judy said, beaming. "You could join in our movie nights! It would be the three of us watching movies!"

Nick looked at her as she suggested that, and he saw how happy she was with the joke suggestion that he had made.

Benjamin looked at the bunny, and he seemed like he was trying to find words.

"W-well, I'd love to… but I really need to go back home tonight…" He said, a bit awkward.

"What, not wanting to be in the middle?" Nick asked. He wasn't sure why, but he kind of hoped that Benjamin would not tag along. It was not that he dislike the cheetah's company, it was… something else.

"Don't worry, Ben, you won't be intruding in anything." Judy assured him, really liking the idea of Ben tagging along with them.

"It's not that." Ben said, "Is that, my roommates are both waiting for me back home, and if I don't appear they might get worried."

Both mammals looked at the bigger one.

"You have roommates?" Judy asked. "I didn't knew that."

"Yeah, not everyone knows." Ben said, "Is that… I get a little lonely, and they make me company."

"Well, you could give them a call and tell them that you will be doing something else today." Nick suggested.

Ben looked at them, and after a while, he said:

"Better not. They usually wait for me to get home, and they are probably waiting for me tonight." Ben said to them. "Maybe another night."

"Oh… okay then." Judy said.

"Well, we can still share a train and talk." Nick said, and he looked at the cheetah. "Maybe you can tell us about these roommates of yours."

He could swear that Ben looked a bit nervous at this.

Soon their train arrived, and the three animals walked inside, taking a seat. Soon they were talking as the train moved, and Ben was actually quite talkative about these roommates of his.

"They are kind of hardcore, you know?" Ben asked them, "They only eat animal protein, and they love to see horror movies. I can't stand those things, but they really love it. Do you believe that they spend the night awake seeing the late night horror marathon?"

"Wow, they stay awake all night?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, they are nocturnal." Ben admitted. "They tend to stay awake at night and to sleep during the day, but they also tend to stay awake during the day when they want to."

"Oh…" Judy said, and she couldn't help but ask:

"And, what do they do for work?"

Ben got a little awkward at this.

"They… they don't really work…"

"Oh… but, they help you pay your rent?"

Ben looked at her, and the expression on his face said it all.

"Well, at least they help with some chores around the house, right?"

"Well, yeah… when they want to… but sometimes I have to clean for us three all by myself." Ben admitted, and Judy looked back at him, and so did Nick.

"Well, it sounds to me that you got yourself two parasites." Nick said, and Ben said nothing in return.

"Ben, the point of having a roommate is that you all help each other." Judy said to him, "Like splitting the rent or helping with the chores. It is not right for a single one of the roommates to take all responsibility while the others do nothing all day."

Ben seemed to be struggling to find something.

"I-its just… they are not like most roommates." Ben admitted, "But they _do_ help with the house. They are quite helpful when they want to."

Judy accepted that, but she found it rather unfair that they left Ben to pay the bills for them. It did felt like they were somehow taking advantage of him. But Ben really seemed okay with it.

"They helped me a lot in the past, you know?" Ben said to them, and the way he spoke seemed to be sincere, so Judy had to suck it up.

They conversations continued, and around them, some other animals were talking among themselves:

"Have you seen the news?" A rhino asked a horse who was standing by his side as both of them held on. "The Queen of England is making an announcement. She is asking members of the Association to come to the palace and talk to her and to the other guys of the govern in there."

"You mean the parliament?" The horse asked, and he had a British accent. "Now that is quite interesting."

"Yeah, it seems that she wants to discuss with them how the Association will relate to the rest of the country. Some say that she even wants to make some agreements with them in regard to mages and non-mages." The rhino said.

"Well, it sounds like a reasonable course of action." The horse said, "After all, dialogue is the best way to solve conflicts."

"Totally." The rhino said to him. "I heard around that some of the governments are considering following suit and asking the mages who live in their countries to come meet with them. I have a friend online who lives in China, and he says that some say that the government is planning on talking to the Chinese mages."

As they talked, other two mammals were talking on a bench on the opposite side to the three officers.

"Have you heard the news?" A puma in a suit said to his friend. "Pearl Paradigm is going to make an announcement."

"Pearl Paradigm? Aren't they the technology industry that build the climate walls?" The zebra sitting with him asked.

"The very same. They let out a note that saying that they will make a public announcement tomorrow. Something to do with how the world is changing." The cougar continued, "Maybe they have a thing or two to say about mages."

The subway was a place for talk, like many others, as many of the passengers who traveled together often found out that talking to each other was a way of passing time. Of course, not everyone would do it, as they preferred to go into their travel in silence. However, the ones who talked found a lot of topics to discuss.

Soon, the subway stopped at Ben's station, and the pudgy cheetah bit farewell to his two friends, apologizing of not being able to tag along with them and promising that he would make up for them at some point.

"Maybe next time you can bring your roommates along." Nick suggested, and he could have sworn that the cheetah had a brief look of panic in his eyes.

"Uhhh, yeah, I guess not… You see, these two are not very sociable… I gotta go." The cheetah said and he rushed out the doors, as if he wanted to run away from the suggestion that Nick just made.

The fox found it just a tad bit suspicious.

"I was thinking about a cop movie." Judy said, breaking him out of his train of thought.

"What?"

"For tonight." The bunny said again, "There is a new cop movie that was just released and that looks pretty good."

"We work as cops and you want to see a cop movie on our free time?" Nick asked her, "Really, carrots?"

"You said I could chose the movie." She sid to him with a smile, "Not going back on your word, are you, Officer Wilde?"

"I just think that the point of having an evening off is to step away from the job and things related to it." Nick said to her, "I don't think that we should take a time off from our job to watch a movie _about_ our job."

Judy chuckled, and she said, "Okay then, what about some romance?"

"I'd rather watch Die Hog." Nick said to her, and soon both the fox and bunny were chuckling as they discussed about movies. It was healthy to have some friendly discussions like that, and Nick knew that he said that he would let Judy choose the movie they would watch, but he had high hopes that he could at least influence her choice on the kind of movie. He was a master of this, and he had done it successfully a few times already.

However, Nick got distracted from the talk when he caught something in the corner of his eye. He took a double look, and his ears suddenly perked, standing in attention.

"I just think that a mystery movie would be nice." Judy said, "I've loved them ever since I was a kit."

"Carrots…" Nick said to her.

"I know that you prefer some action movie, or maybe a comedy, but we cannot only watch these kinds of movies. More realistic movies are just as thrilling."

"Carrots…" Nick said, and this time he approached her. This caught the bunny slightly off-guard.

"Wha- Nick?" Judy said, and the fox approached, and his mouth was now so close to her ear that she could feel his breath tickling her fur.

"Judy." Nick said to her. "Listen to me."

Judy almost froze, and she felt her heart beating somewhat faster, and she had to fight to keep her foot from thumping at the ground.

What was going on? Why had Nick gotten so close to her? And why was se feeling flustered because of this?

"N-Nick?" Judy asked, her nose twitching, but this was not out of fear, this much she knew.

"The butterfly is back." Nick whispered in her ear, and Judy blinked. "Look there in the corner."

Judy blinked again, and Nick gestured with his head, and she followed it. She could see it in there. The blue butterfly, in the handrails above, and it seemed like it was looking at them.

"Act naturally." Nick said to her, before he moved back and Judy followed suit. As he did, Nick noticed a few mammals looking at them. Some of them with raised eyebrows, and some with expressions that were almost of outrage. They probably mistook the proximity with something else, and they didn't quite liked it.

Nick would give some kind of answer to their glares, but he was far too focused on the butterfly that was spying on them.

Judy too reflected on the butterfly, but she had troubles to it, as she tried to understand why her body reacted like that when Nick got so close…

The two mammals did their best to act naturally. They continued to talk, and they did so until they were at their station. They walked out of the train and, as both of them half-expected; the butterfly fluttered its way after them. It remained slightly above and behind, following them as they walked into the stairs and out in the open. It remained behind them as they walked down the street.

"Aaand it is still following us." Nick whispered to the bunny, as they both walked in the empty street.

Judy was about to say something, but her ears caught something. The sound of wings coming from above.

"Yeah, and the crow is here as well." She whispered at him, and Nick yawed, stretching his body and throwing his head back. He was able to catch a glimpse of the black shadow hoovering above them.

_Oh, brilliant…_ Nick thought as he sighted the crow, and soon, he straightened himself and continued to walk as if nothing was wrong. He had a relaxed expression on his face as he and Judy walked. Judy, however, was a bit more uncomfortable, as it could be noticed by the twitching of her nose. Now they were not only being followed by a butterfly, but also by a crow. Both of them someone's familiars.

That was something that the two cops had come to conclude based on what they learned on the last days. After they learned that mages had those "familiars" who did things for them. The fact that Zane and the other mages referred to the butterflies as familiars, and after they saw that Zillah Ferron had a familiar of her own that was a bird, it was only natural for them to conclude that the butterfly and crow were someone's familiars.

This helped them understand a bit what was going on, but it also raised more questions. As in, why would a mage, or mages, put familiars to watch them like that?

This thought remained with them as they walked to Judy's apartment, and they went through the door as the crow perked into the power line, and the butterfly stayed behind.

The landlady already knew Nick, and she was not bothered by him coming over, unlike other armadillo lady would probably be. It was nice having some prey besides Judy not looking at him with mistrust. At least not the blatant kind.

"So, we still need to find out who is sending these things to watch us." Nick whispered to the bunny as they climbed the stairs.

"Yeah, the question is how we do it." Judy admitted. "We both still know nearly nothing solid on magecraft, or on how familiars work… I wish we knew a mage that we could ask it to…"

"Yeah, like that horse, for example?" Nick said to her. "I wish that we could take him in for questioning…"

"Maybe… well, for now, lets focus on having our movie night and getting this out of our heads."

"Yeah, if we can focus in the movie while we know that there is a creepy crow watching us from the window."

Judy had to agree with him, and as they walked to her apartment, they soon were hearing familiar voices.

"Why do you still get on my tail because of the website?"

"Because it could be some kind of scam! Someone could be putting a virus on your computer through it and taking things from us! Do you know how many people lose money over a website!?"

"I told you I have been using this website for five years now! Almost six! If someone was using it to scam us we would know it already!"

"Not if it is one of these long-run scams!"

"What kind of scam would last for almost six years? Who would waste the time of their lives like that?"

Judy and Nick both rolled their eyes as the two were in yet another of their squabbles. They continued to approach as Judy fished out her keys. And the squabble continued.

"I don't know, some _really_ patient scammer? I just know that you don't need to use some fancy meditation site like that! What do you even do in these meditations?"

"Well, it always starts with me focusing on a mental image. I focus on a bunch of lightbulbs lighting up inside my body, starting with one on my heart and spreading from my torso to my head and all of my limbs, kind of like a Christmas tree lighting up."

"You imagine yourself as a Christmas tree? For real?"

"It is just an analogy! It is suppose to represent the life force inside of me strengthening and spreading all over my body!"

"Sounds farfetched!"

"Like it is different from the meditation techniques that they teach in Mystic Springs!"

"If it is not different then why you follow the website!? You should have all the meditation that you need from the place!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

"No, YOU shut up!"

They had already started banging on the wall, and they didn't even heard the door being unlocked and opened by Judy, and the bunny soon had to call their attention by calling up:

"Hey, boys! I'm home!"

"Oh, hey Hopps!"

"How was work today?"

"Oh, just fine!" She said to them, closing the door again and tossing her keys over her desk as she walked, going straight to the window and closing it, not even bothering to look at the crow that she knew was perking on the lines, she would not let it ruin her night. "Kind of busy, if you want to know."

"I've seen a video of you two online!" Another voice said, "About how you met a mage and he threatened you and your partner with some flaming cards! Are you okay?"

Judy sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't got hurt, and neither did Nick!"

"Good to know!" The voice answered back at her, "Still, it must have been scary! Having flames so close to your paws like that!"

"I'll say!" Nick said, "By the way, I'm here too!"

"Oh, hey fox!" A voice came from the other side. "You guys doing your movie night again?"

"We plan to!" Nick said to them. "Today we might see something with a little action!"

"Yeah, just try to keep it down a little bit! I have work tomorrow!"

"Okay, we will keep it down!" Judy said back, as she was already getting her laptop started for them to be able to watch their movie.

"Thanks!" The voice said, and soon after Judy and Nick could her some quiet discussing coming from the other side, as they two antelopes seemed to be still discussing about the website, but now they were keeping their voices down in consideration to the other two mammals. They could be loud, but they were really nice when they wanted to.

"I still say that you should start streaming their squabbles online." Nick whispered to the bunny. "Seriously, you could easily reach the thousands of followers."

Judy chuckled, and she continued on what she was doing, when suddenly, her phone buzzed to life.

Judy picked it up and she saw who was calling her. It were her parents, calling for a conversation on MuzzleTime.

_Huh, what do they want?_ Judy thought. She then turned to Nick.

"It's my parents, I gotta take that." She said, and Nick nodded at her. Soon, the bunny was pressing the 'accept' button, and soon, she saw the familiar images of her parents appearing.

"_-so, if the guy really was a mage…_" Stu was saying to his wife, but he stopped as soon as he looked at the screen and saw Judy looking back at them. "_Hey! Jude the dude!_" He said very happily, and Nick perked his ears as he heard that.

"Jude the dude?" The fox mouthed at her, wondering how he never knew this kind of nickname that the bunny had. Judy would have said something back at her, but she was far too focused on her parents now, and the heating of her ears did not let her focus properly.

"Hi dad. Hi mom." Judy said to the two mammals on the other end. "Did something happen?"

"_Something?_" Stu asked her, "_No. Why would you think that anything happen?_"

"Well, you two don't usually call during a weekday." Judy said to them. It was Bonnie who was quick to talk to her.

"_What, does it need to have a reason for us to call our daughter?_" she said, in a very sweet tune. "_We just called to talk. To check on you. See if you are okay._"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine, I…" She was saying, but she heard a sound that called her attention.

"Psst!"

She blinked, and the sound came again.

"Psst!"

Judy looked over, and she saw Nick making gestures to her.

"_What is that?_" Stu asked. "_What is that noise? There is something leaking?_"

The male bunny was in the dark about that, but Bonnie was more perceptive on this.

"_Judy… there is someone in there with you?_"

_Crackers!_ Judy thought, holding back a groan. She then sighed, and turned her phone at the fox, who had been gesturing at her and now was frozen, as if he had just been caught.

"Mom, dad, I think I already told to both of you about my partner, Nicholas Wilde. Nick, say hi to mom and dad." She said, giving a murderous glare at the fox for creating this kind of situation.

Nick could only stare at the bunnies who were staring back at him, and he was able to wave nervously.

"H-hey, Mister and Missus Hopps." Nick said to them, as they continued to stare. "Nice finally meeting you two, kind of…"

Judy didn't gave then any more time to talk, as she turned the phone back at herself, and she noticed that her father was looking at the side, as if he expected to see a window that would allow him to continue looking at the fox.

"Nick is here for our movie night, we do it every week. In case you two are wondering why he is at my house." She said to her parents, already being ready for the kind of commentaries that could certainly come from the two of them.

"_O-oh… right._" Stu said, but he was still rather nervous. "_That is… huh… very nice! Yeah, very nice that you and your fox friend are getting along! I mean, I hope you two get along! Oh, what am I saying? Of course you two get along! Otherwise you wouldn't visit each other for movie nights! Ha ha! By the way, what kinds of movies are you two seeing? Some romance? Oh, what am I saying now? Why would you two see romances? I mean, you would see romances if you wanted, but…_"

"_Stu! Calm down!_" Bonnie said, stopping the train wreck that was unfolding. "_So, this is the famous Nick who you always talk about? He looks to be really nice._"

"Why, thank you, Missus Hopps!" Nick said loud enough to be heard on the phone. Maybe a bit louder than it was needed. Judy had to hold back a groan.

"_So, any reason why Mr. Wilde was hissing a few moments ago?_" Bonnie asked, and this wiped the smile out of Nick's face as Judy looked at him.

"Oh, you mean, _that_? Oh… I was just…" Nick said, and he cleared his throat. "Well, I just wanted to mention to my partner about the tune of voice that Missus Hopps has used." Nick said, "You know, my mom tended to use this kind of tune when there was something bothering her but she did not wanted to share it with me, and instead she approached and tried to be subtle. I heard that a lot growing up, and I learned how to recognize it, not only in my om, but in other females." He spoke. "Now, I wonder if Mrs. Hopps would be bothered with something and is trying to act okay…"

Judy looked at the fox, and then back at her phone. She noticed that her mother was serious. The bunny on the other end sighed.

"_You are quite perceptive, Mr. Wilde._" Bonnie said, talking to the fox that was not in sight but that could be clearly heard.

"I try to be." Fox said. Judy couldn't help but look at the screen, and see if Nick was actually right on this. The expression of her parents said it all.

"Wait, there _is_ something wrong?" Judy asked. "What? Is it a problem with someone?"

"_Well, it isn't really a problem with anyone in here._" Stu admitted. "_Is just, Bonnie has been very worried with you lately…_" He admitted, and he looked at his wife, who remained impassive. She sighed, and looked back at her husband.

"_Stu, why don't you go check to see if the younger kits are already in bed?_"

"_But, didn't we both checked…_" The male bunny was saying, but a look from his wife was enough to silence him. "_Okay, check on the smaller kits, got it!_" Stu said, and soon he rushed out of the sight of the camera, leaving Bonnie alone to look at her daughter.

"_Judy, I love your father from all of my heart, but sometimes he is just…_" Bonnie said, and finished her thought with a sigh. "_He truly is not the sharpest tool of the shelve sometimes._"

Judy looked at her mother, and saw that her expression was serious. More serious than Judy was used to see it.

"Mom, what is it?" Judy asked, now getting really worried. "Is it something wrong?"

Nick looked, and he really felt that somehow he was intruding at something. Maybe he should wait outside?

"_I'm worried about you, Judy._" Bonnie said to her, and the younger bunny looked back at her through the screen of her phone. "_I have been worried about you ever since you moved at Zootopia._"

"Mom." Judy groaned. "Are we going to talk about this again? I can take care of myself!"

"_I know you can Judy._" Bonnie said to her, her expression was serious, but it was soft, and at the same time, it looked somewhat sad. "_You have already proved it many times already, especially when you brought down Dawn Bellwether._"

Judy looked at her mother, and the way that she was looking made the bunny stand down a little bit. Her mother looked to be truly worried at her.

"_Still, Zootopia is a dangerous place._" Bonnie said, "_More so than most other places._"

"Dangerous?" Judy said, looking at her mother. "Why? Because it is a big city?"

"_Because it houses all kinds of mammals._" Bonnie said to her.

"You mean, like bears, wolves and foxes?" Judy asked her. She was truly not getting what her mother meant. "Like, big mammals that could prey on a bunny, like dad always said?" Judy hoped that it was not that, because she didn't needed to have this kind of talk again, especially coming from her own mother.

There was a silence following these words, and Bonnie looked as if she was reflecting on her next words, as if she was deciding what she would say to her daughter next.

"_Like mages._" Bonnie finally said, and Judy looked back at her, not sure of how to answer that.

Bonnie sighed.

"_Judy, there are mages out there…_" The older female bunny continued. "_Mammals that can do things that common criminals can't._"

Judy said nothing, she didn't knew what to say in return. She knew that her mother was referring to all that had happened. She knew that her mother was referring to the fact that now everyone knew that there were mages out there.

"_Now, not all mages are evil, or dangerous._" Bonnie said to her, "_This is not something automatic to mages. I know that, just like now I know that not all foxes are untrustworthy._" She said, and Nick perked as he heard that, while Judy continued to look at her mother.

"_However, there _are_ mages who are dangerous… Like that horse._"

Judy blinked as she looked at her mother… How did she knew?

"_It is on the internet, you know?_" Bonnie said to the bunny on the other end. "_A lot of your brothers and sisters are sharing about the 'new video of a mage', and some of them are talking on how you and your fox partner are facing them off._"

_Oh, great._ Judy thought, she had almost forgot that the video that was made from their meeting with Percival Colter. And it showed how she and Nick had both a close call with him.

"_I actually saw the video twenty minutes ago._" Bonnie said to her. "_How is your paw?_"

Judy sighed. "Well, it's really fine, not burned or anything."

"_I'm glad._"

"Did dad see the video too?" Judy asked, wondering if the nervous bunny had watched the same thing that his wife had.

"_If he had, he would not be as calm as he was just now. You know how your father it._" Bonnie said, and Judy had to agree with her. Stu was not the calmer of bunnies, and if he had seen that video of one of his girls being threatened by a mage who could create flames, he would surely be nervous and would have been asking her all the while if she was okay.

"_I mean, he knows that there is a video that involves you and a mage, but he does not really know what it is about._" Bonnie admitted. "_But I know… and that makes me worried._"

"_Worried that maybe something like that could happen again. And that next time you could not escape unscratched._" Bonnie admitted, looking at Judy. "_Honey, I know that you are strong, and can take care of yourself… But this… this is different… I don't want to have to bury yet another of my kits._"

Judy looked at this in silence, and Nick was just as silent, and the neighbors were also unusually quiet. Judy thought very careful on the next words to say.

"Mom... I know that everything is kind of crazy now." Judy admitted to her. "And I know that you worry about me, just like about all of us." Judy said to her, "But, I already told you, I need to be in Zootopia. It is my home now, and it is where I chose to pursue my dreams."

"I'm not going to say that I'm not scared, because I am." Judy said, admitting it to her mother. "But, I have to keep doing my work. This is more important than my own fear. I cannot turn back and go home like I did last time. I have to stay here and help in any way I can. Because this." Judy said, sounding confident and quite proud, "Is how I've chosen to make the world a better place."

Bonnie could only look back at her daughter, before she sighed. "_Yeah, I know._" She said to her. "_I have always known that, ever since you first made that play back in the Carrot Days Festival._"

She sighed. "_Just promise me that you will be careful, okay?_"

Judy looked at her, and she nodded.

"I promise."

Bonnie nodded back at her, and then she said:

"_And, Wilde?_" She said, and this caused Nick to perk once more. "_You better do your part to keep my daughter safe, got it?_"

The way that Bonnie spoke was authoritative, but it was more of a motherly boss than a general, still, it somehow held the same amount of authority and power. That much was enough to put Nick on attention.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Judy chuckled, and Bonnie actually chuckled along with her.

"_Take care, sweetheart._" Bonnie said, "_I love you._"

Judy smiled. "Love you too mom."

And with that, the call ended, and Judy sighed as she put her phone down, and she looked at Nick, who was smiling at her.

She sighed once more, and said:

"Okay, go ahead."

"D'awwwwwww!" Nick went, and a similar sound came from the other wall, as the neighbors were imitating the fox. Indubitably they had heard the whole thing. Darn those thin walls!

"Okay, okay, it was adorable, I get it." Judy said, "So, I get along with my parents, so what?"

"You bunnies can be really adorable when you want to." Nick said to her. "As well as scary. You certainly go after your mother."

"Yeah, I guess so…" Judy admitted to him. "I wonder if I'll be as protective as her when I have my own kits."

"Well, you are already quite protective of me, if you want to know." Nick said, "I guess all women have this 'protective mother mode'. I mean, worrying about their kits and wanting to protect them is kind of their job." Nick said, remembering very well of is own mother, and finding many similarities between she and Mrs. Hopps.

Judy smiled, "Yeah… I guess you are right." Judy said, and they both smiled at each other.

"So, you guys have a 'Carrot Days Festival'?" Nick said, with a smirk on his face that Judy already knew, and preferred to avoid.

"So, let's focus on our movie night, okay?" She said to him, "So, I was really thinking-"

But Judy did not finished that thought, because immediately there was a loud sound coming from outside, and the two mammals almost jumped out of their fur when they heard a very loud cawing coming from the window.

"What is that!?"

"What is going on!?"

The neighbors had already noticed it, and they, just like Nick and Judy, rushed to the window to see what it was about.

Drawing the curtains, Judy and Nick looked outside and saw the crow. It was flapping its wings madly, and cawing at something. At first sit seemed like nothing, but soon, the two mammals were able to catch a good sight of what the crow was cawing at: a blue butterfly.

The crow cawed at it and flapped its wings as it tried to beak the butterfly, only for the thing to flutter out of the reach of its beak and fly back at the winged creature. Each time it got close, it sliced through the crow, drawing blood. However, this blood was green and viscous.

"What the- Wow! What smell is that!?" Nick said as he backed away from the window, and Judy almost did as well, as she could feel the smell that came from the crow. It smelled like something rotten.

The crow continued to caw and try to beak the butterfly, only for it to fly out of reach and counter by slicing the crow. All the while, the butterfly was starting to glow almost as if it was charging up. The crow even lifted off the powerlines and tried to grab the butterfly with its claws, but it backfired.

As soon as its talons closed around the butterfly, they fell to the ground, sliced to pieces. Green viscous blood fell out from the open wounds. The butterfly continued to glow, and now it looked almost as if it had a battery of its own, and suddenly, the butterfly started to duplicate itself, much like it did back on that night on the storehouse. All of the butterflies were glowing, probably ready to attack.

However, the crow was faster.

The creature cawed and flapped its wings violently. As it did, something black came out of its wings in a very wide area, looking like many projectiles. They passed through the butterflies, completely shredding them, and continued their way past the creatures. Nick and Judy dove out of the way as soon as they realized that there was something coming out of the crow, and so did the neighbors, going back and ducking as the first of the black projectiles hit their windows, shattering the glass.

As soon as the butterflies died and vanished, the crow cawed loudly and flew away, green blood dripping into the ground bellow as it flew.

Meanwhile, Nick and Judy were back at the apartment. They were lying on the bed, with Nick using his own body to cover Judy. They were pretty close to each other, as they both breathed heavily at what had just transpired.

"You okay?" Nick asked his partner, looking on her.

"I… I guess so…" Judy said to him. "You?"

"No wounds or anything."

Judy nodded, and she looked at the wall.

"Pronk! Bucky! You two okay?"

"Y-yeah! We are fine! I guess!"

"What the eff just happened!?"

Nick and Judy shared a look, as they had pretty much the same question on their minds.

"Well, I think that crows and butterflies don't really get along." Nick said as he and Judy both got up and looked at the damage that the two creatures have made in their, for the lack of any better word to describe it, battle.

The two mammals got up from the bed, and looked at the window. The glass was destroyed, the curtains ripped, and it looked like there were still some of the projectiles that the crow threw. It was possible to see it because they were of a very intense black coloration.

They both looked at it for a few moments, before Judy rushed out of the bed and to her desk. She fumbled into the drawers in look for something, and she soon found it: a pair of twizzles and some plastic transparent plastic envelopes, which actually looked a tiny bit like small evidence bags.

She soon was bringing it back at Nick and handling what she caught.

"Start bagging."

"Excuse me?" Nick said, still shaken and trying to understand what happened.

"The projectiles!" Judy said, as she fished out her phone. "Pick up some of them and put them in the envelopes. We need to get this analyzed."

Nick blinked at her, and he seemed like he was about to say something, but he changed his mind when he saw that Judy had just gone into "cop mode", and he knew that he would not really be able to talk her out of this. He didn't even had courage to remember to her that it was her own house, and not the scene of a crime, although what just happened would beg to differ.

The fox just sighed in defeat, and moved to the window to check on the damage and see the projectiles to bag. Meanwhile, Judy had hit the recorder in her phone.

"Crow entry, June 29 of 2018. Officer Nicholas Wilde and I were at my apartment for a social meeting while off duty, when suddenly the crow started to fight the blue butterfly that had been following Nick." Judy said as Nick looked at the window, and picked up the projectiles that had become stuck into the wood with the swizzle, only to find out that they were a lot softer and more malleable than he expected.

"The butterfly produced injuries in the crow as it tried to attack, and the crow retaliated by generating some kind of projectile into the butterfly. These projectiles destroyed the butterfly and the other butterflies that it created by replicating itself, and also caused some damage to my window and the window of the apartment next to mine. Officer Wilde is collecting the projectiles as I speak."

"Carrots!" Nick called, "Take a look at this!"

Judy turned to him, and she saw that Nick was holding up one of the "projectiles" for her to see it better in the light, and looking now, she saw that it was somewhat malleable. And it looked like…

"A feather?" Judy said, getting closer.

It was, indeed, a feather. A black one.

The two mammals shared a look, and Judy soon was using her phone to take a photograph of the feather.

"You can bag it." She said to him, and Nick decided to do as she told him. He was soon opening space for her as she looked at the window, and saw that the rest of the "projectiles" stuck into the wood of the window were, indeed, many black feathers.

_The crow can actually use its feathers as deadly weapons?_ Judy thought as she looked at all of the damage that was made with the feathers, and she started to take pictures of it.

Meanwhile, Nick was looking around the apartment, and seeing that the damage was not limited to the window. It looked like some other feathers had managed to get through the wall on the other side, and now their tips were sticking out of the greasy wall of the apartment.

Nick approached, and gently poked one of these feathers with his finger, and he saw that it was as soft as a feather was supposed to be.

_How did a feather can do that? The crow must be able to fling them with a lot of force._ The fox thought, as he grabbed the feather with the twizzle and started to pull. However, he found out that the thing was seriously stuck into the wall. This forced the tod to make some effort, for the feather was holding firm to the hole it had created.

Nick grunted, and pulled hard, and the feather came lose. However, Nick was not prepared, and he almost fell backwards, bumping into Judy's desk, and knocking down a few things, and also making the radio that was in there buzz to life as he bumped into it.

Judy perked her ears and looked at the fox, who was quickly to recover and apologize. Judy looked at him and at the wall, seeing that the feathers looked like they almost make it through the wall, coming from the outside.

"Sweet cheese." Judy said as she rushed to the wall, looking at it and recording it with her cellphone.

Meanwhile, the radio that Nick accidentally bumped into was tune in a station.

"_Yeah, it seems that the world has changed, pals._" The voice of some host said on the other side, as Judy continued to film her own wall that had been pierced by feathers. Nick was right by her side taking a close look at everything.

"_Just a few months ago we all were sure that magic didn't existed, and now we all know that it does. This makes you wonder what will happen in the following day. Especially when you don't know if you can actually trust mages and stuff._"

* * *

On the other side of the wall, Pronk and Bucky were also recovering, and the radio could be hear through the thin wall.

"_We all have learned that as adults we must worry about serious stuff, like robbers and someone breaking into our houses, as well as getting and a job and paying rent. We learned to leave behind the worries that we had of monsters coming to get us and the neighbor putting a curse on us. Well, I guess that for some of us these worries are coming back with a vengeance._"

As the two antelopes took deep breaths, they looked at each other, holding on each other's shoulders as if they were trying to find support. They both panted and looked at each other up and down. Bucky blinked as he looked at Pronk's horns, seeing something stuck in them.

The kudu blinked, and reached out slowly, to pluck the objects out of Pronk's horn.

"Ouch! What was…" Pronk said, and he looked at Bucky, who was now holding a feather in his hoof.

Both antelopes blinked and looked at each other.

"I told you that there was something strange about that crow…" Bucky said to his husband.

"_This makes us all think, you know?_"

* * *

"_It makes us think about on how many mammals who believed that these things could be real were actually right. They were right when everyone told them that it was impossible and that they were insane._" It came from a radio that was in a nearby table. This radio was kind of a cheap one, but the sound that came out of it was of quality, being red and gray, and looking quite worm down, with the color having faded from it.

As the radio continued, the two brothers were now in front of the laptop. Chief Bogo looked closely as his older brother explained to him his method of research. The two brothers talked to each other as they discussed what the older cape buffalo had been doing. Bogo looked to be honestly interested in Timetri's methods.

"_Well, I guess many people who have considered them insane will regret having done that, now that they have seen that they might not be so crazy. And the guys who were called crazy, well, maybe they will get to point a finger in the faces of others and rub it in that they were actually right all along._"

The two brothers continued to look into the website. It was a new one, which Timetri had bookmarked. The title was "**NAVIGATING IN THE NEW WORLD: WHAT TO DO NOW THAT MAGES ARE AROUND**".

* * *

"_Of course, it is not only about them that we are thinking as of right now._" The voice came from a radio that was of some good quality, but not too expensive. "_As we also think of what it might mean for the mages now that they know that the bird is out of the bag._"

As the radio continued, Sophie Wilde passed by it, a serious expression in her face as she walked to the window. She opened it and looked outside, at the night air.

She reached out for something inside of her clothes.

"_This makes us think what must go through the minds of mages now that they know that normal mammals know that they exist and that they are around. We wonder how they will think and what they will try to do now. Well, I guess we can only imagine about that. Imagine what they must be thinking within the confines of their homes, doing their mage things and imagining how they will conduct their business from now on, since secrecy is not an option…_"

Sophie pulled out a flashcard binder. She opened it and scanned through the flashcards in it. Each one of the cards had something written, but it didn't looked like traditional writing…

Sophie stopped in a specific card, and she took it to her mouth, biting it softly and ripping it out from the binder.

Sophie looked out of the window as she held it in her mouth, and she took a deep breath through her nose, before letting the breath out through her mouth, her teeth holding the flashcard to her mouth. As she did, the piece of paper flailed with the breeze of her breath, and as it did, the writing in it started to glow.

Sophie loosened the grip of her teeth in it as she finished breathing, the paper floating out of her mouth. It glowed in the air, before it started to dissolve in the air. The light of the writings remained, and now took the shape of something that was glowing. The glow diminished, to reveal a butterfly with blue wings.

"Go." Sophie Wilde said softly, and the butterfly started to flutter away, under the watching gaze of the vixen…

* * *

"_Yeah, the guys must be at their homes, with their pet familiars, wondering what they will do and how their lives will actually change now that our world has changed like that._" The voice came from the radio.

"Well, he is not wrong." Zillah Ferron said as she laid in her recliner chair. Cory was by her side, obedient, while she played with something in her paw.

"_Now, are they planning on continuing their lives like they always did? Are they planning to come out in the open and be honest with mammals? Are they planning to ignore the problem until it go away? Or solve everything with their spells? Well, maybe all of these things, maybe none of them. After all, mages are still mammals, I think. And, as mammals, we can wait the best and the worst from them._"

Zillah looked at the object that she had in her paw, a small pyramid of red crystal. It practically pulsed with the power of all of the magical energy that was stored inside of it. As she looked at it, and listened to the radio, she remembered the night when that small object ended up in her power.

The night when she had to save some non-mages from a dangerous bunch of mages that could be nothing more than trouble.

"Black Vipers…" Zillah spoke to herself. She closed her paw in a fist around the red pyramid, and in doing that, she could practically feel the amount of power that was stored inside of that crystal. Power that these mages went through a lot of problem to get, and that they surely had some kind of plan for. Now, what that plan was, Zillah could only guess, but she had the feeling that it was nothing good…

* * *

"_Now, that also makes us wonder about the mages, right?"_ The voice continued, coming from a small radio over a kitchen counter. "_We wonder about the mages who live among us, and on what they could be planning on doing now. All the while, we wonder if they are around. I can't tell how many of my neighbors are getting paranoid, thinking that someone who lives next to them could be a mage in disguise. But, we do have to wonder, if mages have lived hidden for centuries, then who can guarantee that someone who lives near us could not be a mage in hiding?_"

Benjamin Clawhauser turned the radio off, and he finished preparing something for himself. It was a couple of sandwiches and a big glass of juice. The cheetah licked his chops as he saw the delicious snack that he had prepared for himself. He was just picking up what he had prepared, when he turned his head, and called out over his shoulder:

"Hey, boys!" The ample cheetah said, "Do you two want some snack?"

"Nah, we are good!" A voice said, following soon after by another.

"Unless-sss you have a gecko in there!"

"Yeah, no geckos, sorry." Ben called back, already knowing what these two liked and disliked.

"Yeah, then we are cool."

Ben heard that, and he nodded. These two were very icky when it came to their food, when they wanted food at all. Benjamin knew that pretty well after a few years with them by his side.

"So, anything good on the tv?" Benjamin asked as he walked carrying a trail with his snack. A voice came from the living room.

"Marathon of 'Nightmare on Elk Sss-street'." The voice said, and another said right after:

"Only the bes-sss-t of them."

Benjamin cringed as he heard that.

"Maybe something different?" He offered as he arrived into the living room. "Something that does not have blood or guts? Or any of that gory stuff?"

"Like what?" A voice asked, as Benjamin made his way to the living room, and was met with two pair of red eyes looking back at him, as the two in the living room looked at the cheetah. Benjamin looked at them and smiled.

"Well, I just heard from a friend online that there is a marathon of Gazelle video clips going on in the Musical Channel." Benjamin said to them. "And, while I know that I am very different from you two in what it comes to television taste, I know that all of us really love Gazelle." Ben finished in a musical way, swinging his hips to the sides.

The two pairs of eyes looked at each other for a few moments, before they turned back to Benjamin.

"Deal." They said at the same time, and Benjamin smiled at this, as he was glad that these two were reasonable enough to come to an agreement with him.

* * *

"_Now, this means that we should all be on our toes, ready to jump and to run away, maybe even to fight, in the case we ever met a mage? I don't think so._" Said a voice coming from a small portable radio. "_I don't think that this could be the answer we look for in here. After all, we would not be able to live in peace if we acted like that for every little thing. In my view, if the mages wanted to do something bad to most of us, then they would probably have done that a long time ago. I really think that they only want to keep living their lives and continuing their business in peace._"

As the small group of bunnies sat on the balcony, they looked at the night sky, chatted among themselves, and some of them were even drinking as they talked. It was quite of a common sight to see the Hopps family gathering like that, having some good moments together.

As they did, Bonnie walked out of the balcony, and she smiled as she looked at her children, some of them already adults, gathering and having some good time together. It was nice seeing them happy and joyful, as it was the norm around the house. Yeah, bunnies worked hard, but they also played hard, and having fun was something that the Hopps family was good at doing, and Bonnie didn't wanted that to change.

However, Bonnie's ears twitched as they picked up a sound.

"_Still, I would keep watch around. I'm not going to be paranoid and bigoted with mages and all._" The voice came from the radio on the handrail of the balcony. "_But I'd still keep my eyes open. I mean, now that we know that the supernatural exists, we are walking into a very strange world. It might be the same, but it has changed, and we need to keep our eyes and ears ready for anything._"

Bonnie turned her head, to see a black figure against the sky, flapping its black wings erratically.

Her face hardened, and she looked back at her children, seeing that they were all distracted, and hadn't even noticed her presence, before she turned her head back to the figure, and walked out of the balcony and in direction to it.

Bonnie walked until she was out of hearing reach from her children, but on the hearing range of the creature.

"I told you not to come here when my children are near." Bonnie said to the creature. "Do you really have difficulty to understand it?"

If she expected any answer of the black-winged creature wasn't clear, but the creature cawed in answer, and they way that it cawed, plush the way that it flapped its wings of black feathers, made it clear to Bonnie.

"Oh, you are in pain, aren't you?" She asked, and the creature cawed back.

"Well… that serves you right." She said with indifference, looking back at the creature with crossed arms.

"I told you many times to leave my family alone." Bonnie said to the creature, "And this means _all of them_." Bonnie spoke to the bird as if she was talking to another mammal. "Now, unless you want to face even more pain, I suggest you to stop spying on us. Now shoo!" Bonnie said, making a gesture that was dismissive to the bird.

The black creature cawed at this, and flapped away from the Hopps state, all under the hard gaze of the matriarch of that family…

* * *

"_Well, all I'm sure right now is that the world has changed._" The voice said, coming from a small radio that was on the paw a certain mammal. "_Now, it this change was for better or for worse, we still have to decide. All I know is that we need to learn how to navigate in this new world where magic and the supernatural exist and where mages are living among us. Now, will we be able to live in peace with the mages? Or will it prove to be too hard for us to accept and adapt? Well, in the late case, I guess that we would all be doomed. I am in favor of adapting and trying to live in peace. Of course, since no one can truly know the future, I guess all that we can do is wait and see. Let's all hope for the best. This is Doyle Bearbrum, and this is the Bear Bro Talk._"

The figure continued to walk as it heard the talk through the radio. After the host was done talking, the mammal simply turned the radio off and threw it away over his shoulder. As the radio broke when it hit the ground, the wolf continued his way. His gray fur looked darker in the darkening sky, and the gray clothing that he wore surely made him stand out, including the fedora that he was wearing. His yellow eyes almost glowed as he looked around as he walked into the place.

Fangtropolis had always been a nice place for vacation. Before it was destroyed, of course, for now it was a ruined city, full of broken buildings and dreams, and with the streets decorated with the remains of what once were the inhabitants, turned into grotesque and nightmarish charred statues of mammals. It was a sight that would make many look away, but the wolf who walked among the many charred and frozen corpses seemed like he didn't minded one bit.

"Enjoying the view?" A voice came behind the wolf, and the lupine stopped on his tracks. He didn't turned around, but he answered, with a smile on his muzzle:

"Just admiring what has been done with the city." The wolf said. And a second mysterious voice came from behind him.

"Well, it is actually something, now I don't know if it is to be admired."

"The result is quite interesting to look at, if you stop to consider." Said a third voice. "If you look at it the right way, it might almost look to be artistic."

"For some more than for others." Said a forth voice.

The wolf finally turned around, and he looked at the owners of these four voices. They were not alone. The wolf looked at all of them, as he smiled.

"Well, I guess it is only natural for me to look at it with pride, since it is my own work." The wolf said to them. "Or, should I say… _our_ work."

None of the figures said anything. The wolf looked back at them, and simply chuckled.

"Oh, come on, don't be so gloomy, all of you." He spoke to the mammals. "After all, things might not have pan out like planned, but you all still took part in something formidable. Something that forever changed the face of the world." He said, walking to a particular figure, which looked like a big feline that was shrunk into a ball and shielding itself with the arms. The wolf knelt by its side, as if to take a closer look, he had a twisted smile on his muzzle.

"And surely changed the looks of this city." He said, his voice was almost one of delight. He could hear a growling sound coming from behind himself, form one of the figures, but he ignored it.

"Too bad you can't go and assume that the work is yours, since you are a criminal."

"We are all criminals, my friends." The wolf said back to the one who spoke that. "We did it all together, after all."

"So, I guess it is safe to say that we don't need the website anymore." Another of the figures said to him. "Now that everyone has accepted that mages exist, then there is no reason for us to maintain it, right?"

"Yeah, guess you are right." The wolf said, still crouched as he took a closer look at that poor figure. "You might take it down if you want to. The website has fulfilled its role already."

"And what shall we do now?" Another figure asked, and this one had a particularly deep voice.

"Well, we continue our work, of course." The wolf said, and he got up, turning to the other mammals. "We continue doing what we must do to get this all moving ahead… unless some of you want to call it quits."

"We cannot quit." Another of the figures said. "Not after all of this. Not after what we lost. Not after what we found out."

"You sure?" The wolf asked them. "Don't any of you miss your families? Your loves ones?

"They no longer matter." Another figure said with a certain disdain. "Not that they ever did, anyway. We serve to a new lord now."

The wolf looked at them with a smirk.

"Yeah, that is right." The wolf said to them, and he stood proudly in front of the mammals.

"My friends, the curtain has risen in this glorious new world, a wonderful new show." The wolf said to all of them, and many of them were actually smirking back at him.

"Let's continue playing our roles and see what kind of beautiful spectacle unfolds."

* * *

**To be continued in: NaZooverse Book 2**


End file.
